The India vs Sri Lanka Asian Games semi-final in Nisshin was supposed to be the tighter of the two last-four ties. It finished as a 124-run thrashing. India scraped to 169 for 7 on a cracked, two-paced pitch at Korogi Sports Park on Thursday, October 1, then bowled Sri Lanka out for 45 in just 9.5 overs. The result puts India, the defending champions, into a gold medal match against Pakistan, the first India vs Pakistan final at the Asian Games.
Ishan Kishan carried the batting with 80 not out from 46 balls. Jasprit Bumrah then took two wickets in the first over of the chase, and the spinners did the rest. According to ESPNcricinfo’s match report, it was India’s biggest T20I win over Sri Lanka.
How India found 169 on a pitch full of cracks
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to field, in their first game of the tournament after their quarter-final against Nepal was rained off. For a while the decision looked sound. Abhishek Sharma (7) and Sanju Samson (7) were both gone inside three overs, Abhishek caught at short third off Sahan Arachchige and Samson bowled by a quicker ball from Tharindu Ratnayake.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi kept the scoreboard moving with 38 off 21 balls, including six fours and two sixes, before he fell to Arachchige in almost exactly the way Abhishek had. Shreyas Iyer was then bowled by Wanuja Sahan for 13, and at 87 for 4 after 9.4 overs India were in some trouble.
Kishan held it together. He reached his fifty from 33 balls in the 17th over, survived a dropped catch on 56 by Nuwanidu Fernando at mid-off, and then cleared the ropes repeatedly at the death. His 80 not out included four fours and five sixes. Nobody else in the match passed 38.
The collapse: 0 for 2 after five balls
Sri Lanka needed 170. Bumrah trapped Sineth Jayawardena lbw with the second ball and had Sohan de Livera caught behind by Samson with the fifth, so Sri Lanka were 0 for 2 before they had a run on the board. ESPNcricinfo noted it was the first time India had taken two wickets before conceding a run in a men’s T20I.
Lasith Croospulle was run out by Ravi Bishnoi in the next over without facing a ball. Axar Patel then removed the captain Arachchige and Ashen Bandara in the fourth over, both trying to sweep, and Sri Lanka were 18 for 5. Nuwanidu Fernando hit Washington Sundar for two sixes in three balls, but he ran himself out going for a single that was never there, and the innings fell apart from 31 for 5.
India finished it with a team hat-trick: a Tilak Varma run out, a Samson stumping off Abhishek, and Abhishek bowling Binura Fernando. Abhishek’s two wickets cost two runs in five balls.
Key numbers from the scorecard
| Stat | Figure |
|---|---|
| India | 169 for 7 (20 overs) |
| Sri Lanka | 45 all out (9.5 overs) |
| Margin | 124 runs |
| Top score | Ishan Kishan 80 not out (46 balls, 4 fours, 5 sixes) |
| Best bowling | Abhishek Sharma 2 for 2, Jasprit Bumrah 2 for 7, Axar Patel 2 for 8 |
| Sri Lanka’s best | Sahan Arachchige 2 for 28, Tharindu Ratnayake 2 for 32 |
| Run outs in the chase | 3 |
| Balls bowled by spinners | 149 of 179 in the match |
Sri Lanka’s 45 is the joint-lowest total by a Full Member side in men’s T20Is, level with West Indies’ 45 against England in 2019, and the second-lowest total in men’s cricket at the Asian Games, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Why spin won it
India picked four spinners and Sri Lanka three, and on this surface that was the right call. Spinners bowled 149 of the 179 balls in the match and took 12 wickets. The ball turned sharply and some deliveries kept low or jumped, which is why a total that would be par on most T20 pitches turned out to be roughly double what was needed. For casual fans, this is the reason a 124-run margin is possible in a 20-over game: once early wickets fall on a turning pitch, a side chasing quickly runs out of batters who can survive long enough to score.
What’s next: India vs Pakistan for gold
Pakistan reached their first Asian Games men’s final earlier on Thursday, beating Bangladesh by six wickets in a semi-final cut to 13 overs a side by rain. Bangladesh made 111 for 7, with Sufyan Moqim taking three wickets, and Pakistan got home on 112 for 4 with nine balls to spare, Abdul Samad finishing 30 not out. Both finalists reached the last four without playing a quarter-final, because rain wiped out all four ties, as we reported when the semi-final line-up was set.
The gold medal match is on Saturday, October 3, at Korogi Sports Park, starting at 1:30pm Japan time (10am IST, 9:30am PKT, 5:30am BST, 12:30am ET), according to the ESPNcricinfo fixture list. Sri Lanka play Bangladesh for bronze earlier the same day, at 9am Japan time. India are the defending champions; Pakistan are chasing a first men’s cricket gold at the Games.
