India will face Pakistan in the cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games on Saturday, October 3, setting up a historic encounter between the two nations. This will be the first time both teams will square off at the Asian Games for the gold medal. India are the defending champions and reached the final after a dominant semi-final performance against Sri Lanka on October 1.
India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final, with the island nation folding for 45 inside 10 overs. Ishan Kishan top-scored with 80 not out off 46 balls, striking five sixes and four boundaries to power India to 169 for 7. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma took two wickets each in a commanding bowling display.
Kishan said that he focused on keeping things simple. He assserted that he stays in the moment instead of worrying about what lies ahead.
“Just keeping it simple, you don’t think so much. We played today, and we know the conditions are not going to be so easy. Especially, they are also a spinner-friendly team,” Kishan said while speaking to reporters during the post-match press conference.
“At the same time, you know, you just don’t think about what’s going to happen after two days. You just keep calm, you play your shots, you be in the moment and just enjoy those crunch moments,” Kishan said.
The unique pressure of playing for India at the Asian Games
Kishan was emotionally charged up when he was asked about the prospect of winning the gold medal for his country. He admitted that there is going to be pressure when the two arch-rivals cross swords on Saturday.
“I was thinking about this, and it does make a difference in your heart, at least, you know, when you’re playing for India, especially when it’s about the medal. And it’s not just about being related to BCCI,” Kishan said.
“It’s always about India here. There are so many flags going around and so many people cheering for you. So you get that feeling inside, though you don’t show it. But yeah, I think you get that feeling like this is a different kind of thing, even if we have a very good side and we have those bowlers, we have those batters. But still, I feel there’s a bit more pressure here, to be very honest,” Ishan said.
Pakistan reached the final by defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in the first semi-final on Thursday. Bangladesh scored 111 for 7, and Pakistan completed the chase with nine balls remaining in a rain-affected contest restricted to 13 overs per side. The Pakistan squad was led by Sahibzada Farhan and did not include Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf. India and Pakistan had played each other once in men’s cricket in 2026, with India winning in the Men’s T20 World Cup. The gold medal match on October 3 provides another opportunity for the two sides to compete at the Asian Games, with both teams seeking to claim the top prize in the continental tournament.
