NISSHIN, Japan: India won the toss and chose to bat first against Pakistan on Saturday in the Asian Games cricket final at Korogi Sports Park, setting up a high-stakes battle between the archrivals for the gold medal.
Pakistan made one change to their lineup, with all-rounder Saad Masood coming in for fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jr. Sahibzada Farhan is leading Pakistan, while Usman Khan will keep wickets.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Sufyan Moqim and Abrar Ahmed.
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Jasprit Bumrah.
The two captains did not shake hands before the start of the gold-medal match.
The final marks the first-ever meeting between India and Pakistan in men’s cricket at the Asian Games, adding another chapter to one of cricket’s biggest rivalries.
The teams have played 17 T20 internationals against each other, with India winning 13, Pakistan three and one match ending in a tie.
India have also won the last five T20I meetings between the sides.
Pakistan will be looking to break that run and secure the gold medal, with young players such as Maaz Sadaqat expected to play an important role in the title clash.
The Asian Games final brings together two teams aiming to finish their campaign with the tournament’s top prize in Nisshin, Japan.
