Asian Games 2026: India's batting collapse early, but Kisan steadies the ship

Jakarta, Oct 1 – In a high‑stakes semi‑final of the Asian Games 2026, India posted 169 runs for seven wickets against Sri Lanka at the Korogi Sports Park.

The decision to bat first after losing the toss backfired early. Opener Abhishek Sharma was out for seven runs off three balls, and Sanju Samson could not get past seven runs from nine deliveries. Captain Shreyas Iyer also fell short, scoring 13 before being dismissed.

The middle order revived the innings. Vaibhav Suryavanshi struck 38 runs off 21 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes to steady the flow of runs. His performance set the stage for the young Ishaan Kisan.

Kisan, arriving at the crease amid another wicket, displayed composure. He reached his half‑century in 33 balls and then accelerated, compiling 80 runs from 46 deliveries with four fours and five sixes, remaining unbeaten.

The final overs saw limited contributions: Akshar Patel managed eight runs from 13 balls, Tilak Varma added two, Shiva Dubey was dismissed for three, and Washington Sundar remained not out on seven runs off three balls.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers were led by Tharindu Ratnayake, who took two wickets for 32 runs in four overs, while their captain, Sahan Arachchige, grabbed two wickets for 28 runs.

India’s side featured two changes: Jasprit Bumrah returned in place of Yash Thakur, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi was retained over Arshdeep Singh for the final XI.