Arya News - For the first time this year, archrivals India and Pakistan meet in a final, as they face off at the Asian Games.
Who : India vs Pakistan
What : Asian Games 2026, men’s cricket final gold medal match
Where : Korogi Athletic Park, Nisshin, Japan
When : Saturday, October 3, 1:30pm local (04:30 GMT)
How to follow : Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up and live updates from 02:30 GMT.
Cricket’s biggest rivalry will be renewed this weekend as India take on Pakistan in the Asian Games men’s cricket final, with the elusive gold medal at stake.
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India will defend their Hangzhou 2023 title, while Pakistan eye their first gold, having won bronze at Guangzhou 2010.
India’s Men in Blue can complete a cricket double in Aichi-Nagoya after the Indian women’s team clinched gold at the start of the Games, thrashing Sri Lanka in the final.
Al Jazeera tells you everything to know about India vs Pakistan:
What happened the last time India played Pakistan?
India and Pakistan last met in a T20 World Cup group-stage match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15.
India won that match by 61 runs , with Ishan Kishan’s 77 off 40 guiding them to victory.
When did Pakistan last beat India?
The last time Pakistan defeated India in T20Is dates back to September 4, 2022.
Pakistan beat India by five wickets in that Asia Cup semifinal, as Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71.
How did India and Pakistan reach the Asian Games cricket final?
As two of the four seeded teams, both India and Pakistan directly qualified for the quarterfinals at the Asian Games 2026.
India’s quarterfinal against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain, and World No 1 India proceeded to the semifinals due to their higher seeding, determined by the ICC T20I team rankings.
In the semis, India thrashed Sri Lanka by 124 runs , dismissing their opponents for 45 in 9.5 overs.
As for Pakistan, their quarterfinal tie with Hong Kong, China was also washed out, and they advanced to the semifinals in the same fashion.
World No 6 Pakistan clinched a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their semifinal clash, which was reduced to 13 overs due to a wet outfield.
India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is
Matches: 17 India wins: 13 Pakistan wins: 3 Tied: 1
What happens if the India vs Pakistan final is washed out?
Rain has disrupted much of the cricket competition in Aichi-Nagoya.
If Saturday’s final is abandoned due to rain, India and Pakistan will share the gold medal.
This is different from what happened at Hangzhou 2023 – India were awarded the gold due to higher ranking after their last edition’s final with Afghanistan was washed out.
Key India and Pakistan players to watch
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan (India) : India’s 15-year-old batting prodigy Sooryavanshi is undoubtedly one of the best players to watch out for across all sports at the ongoing games. The big-hitting opener scored 38 runs in the semifinals, smashing six fours and two sixes. Middle-order batter Kishan’s unbeaten 80 off 46 balls was, however, the highlight of that match, with his incredible five sixes adding extra entertainment.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is India’s popular teen sensation [Andrew Boyers/Reuters]
Sufyan Moqim and Abdul Samad (Pakistan): Left-arm wrist-spin bowler Moqim was the pick of Pakistani bowlers in their semifinal victory, bagging three wickets by conceding 26 runs in three overs. Samad, on the other hand, dazzled with the bat, scoring a quickfire, unbeaten 30 off 15 balls, smashing five fours and a six.
India’s Asian Games cricket squad:
Shreyas Iyer (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wicket-keeper), Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma (vice-captain), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Vipraj Nigam, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Thakur, Arshdeep Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Pakistan’s Asian Games cricket squad:
Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)
List of Asian Games cricket medallists:
Cricket is making its fourth appearance at the Asian Games.
The sport debuted at Guangzhou 2010 and returned at Incheon 2014 before being left out of the programme for Jakarta 2018.
Guangzhou 2010 : Bangladesh (gold), Afghanistan (silver), Pakistan (bronze) Incheon 2014 : Sri Lanka (gold), Afghanistan (silver), Bangladesh (bronze) Hangzhou 2023 : India (gold), Afghanistan (silver), Bangladesh (bronze) Asian Games medal tally
As of Friday, 7:30 GMT, India are sixth and Pakistan are 34th in the Asian Games medal tally.
India: 71 medals (12 gold, 25 silver, 34 bronze) Pakistan: 6 medals (all bronze) Where can I watch India vs Pakistan?
The Asian Games cricket final between India and Pakistan will be telecast or streamed live on the following platforms worldwide:
India: Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV Pakistan: PTV Sports, Ten Sports Middle East: beIN Sports Malaysia: Astro Singapore: Mediacorp Japan: TBS