Sri Lanka were bowled out for 45 as India won the second men’s cricket semi-final at the Asian Games by 124 runs, ending Sri Lanka’s run at the gold medal and sending India through to the final.
The match was played at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.
How it unfolded
Sri Lanka captain Sahan Arachchige won the toss and chose to bowl. India reached 169 for 7 from their 20 overs, built on an unbeaten 80 from 46 balls by Ishan Kishan, an innings containing five sixes and four fours. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added a rapid 38.
Sri Lanka’s spinners were the only bowlers to make inroads: Arachchige and Tharindu Rathnayake took two wickets each, Hiru News reported.
Chasing 170, the Sri Lankan top order was dismantled early and the innings never recovered. The side was dismissed for 45 in 9.5 overs — barely a quarter of India’s total, and the heaviest reverse of their tournament.
What comes next
India go on to meet Pakistan in the gold medal match. Sri Lanka drop into the bronze medal play-off. Both medal matches are scheduled for 3 October at Korogi Sports Park.
Sri Lanka had reached the last four after their quarter-final was washed out and they advanced on the basis of their group placing. The men’s result follows the women’s team’s silver medal in the final against the same opponents.
A note on the score
Newswire’s headline put the collapse at 9.4 overs. Both Hiru and ThePapare record it as 9.5, and this report follows the latter figure. The margin, the totals and the individual scores are identical across all three accounts.
Neither report gives a full Sri Lankan batting card, names India’s wicket-takers consistently, or says whether any Sri Lankan batter reached double figures.