Ishan Kishan struck an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls as India posted 169/7 against Sri Lanka in the second semifinal of the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday.
Asked to bat first at the Korogi Sports Park, India endured an uncertain start after losing Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson cheaply. Abhishek smashed a six before falling for seven, while Samson also departed for seven.
Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi then injected momentum into the innings, forming a 35-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer. The youngster’s aggressive strokeplay helped India reach 58 in the powerplay before he was dismissed soon after, having made a valuable contribution.
Iyer scored 13 before departing, while Axar Patel and Tilak Varma also failed to build substantial partnerships as Sri Lanka’s spinners tightened their grip during the middle overs.
Kishan, however, anchored India’s innings and shifted gears towards the end. He brought up his half-century with a six and continued finding boundaries, while Washington Sundar provided late support.
Kishan remained unbeaten on 80, with his innings featuring four fours and five sixes. Sundar also cleared the ropes in the final over as India finished with a competitive 169/7.
India will now look to defend the target with Jasprit Bumrah and their spin attack expected to play a key role on a pitch offering assistance to the bowlers.
The winner of the semifinal will meet Pakistan in the gold-medal match on Saturday. India are the defending Asian Games champions in men’s cricket.
