India set sights on final berth in Asian Games as Sri Lanka come in with hopes of major upset
After rain secured India's spot in the Asian Games 2026 semifinal, they now meet Sri Lanka in a crucial clash with a place in the final up for grabs. The Men in Blue will be eager to take the field after a brief hiatus since their historic clash against Japan. With the little break in the middle, the players will feel rejuvenated and will be able to go all guns blazing against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka walked into the semis after their quarter-final against Nepal was washed out too. Courtesy of higher seeding, Sri Lanka got a pass to the semis and now will have a chance of trying to force an upset against the defending world champions.
The Men in Blue will be coming to this game with a fine blend of youth and experience. While a full-strength Sri Lankan side will be hoping to get themselves across the 150-mark which hasn’t happened since June. For India, all eyes will be on Abhishek Sharma who is in tremendous form, despite the slip-up against Japan. For the Lankans, it is a fairly young side apart from Niroshan Dickwella who is returning to T20Is after a long time.
Venue Watch:
The surface in Nisshin has shown a massive inclination towards the spinners who have managed to turn the ball corners. So batters will have to watch out before they play their shots with a risk factor being always there. With the sun coming out for the last couple of days, the dampness will be going away, giving a better carry to the ball for the seamers.
Match details:
Match: India vs Sri Lanka, Asian Games, semi-final
Venue: Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin
Date: 1st October, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM IST
Head-to-head:
Matches played – 33
India – 23
Sri Lanka - 9
Squads:
India:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Vipraj Nigam, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Sri Lanka:
Sahan Arachchige (c), Ashen Bandara, Lasith Croospulle, Sohan de Livera, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Binura Fernando, Nuwanidu Fernando, Tharindu Ratnayake, Dushan Hemantha, Sineth Jayawardena, Chamika Karunaratne, Garuka Sanketh, Wanuja Sahan, Nuwan Thushara, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth
