Asian Games 2026: Shreyas Iyer wins toss, elects to bat first against…

In the Asian Games 2026 final against Pakistan, Team India's skipper Shreyas Iyer has won the toss and elected to bat first at the Aichi Prefectural Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.

Team India's in-form batsman Ishan Kishan said, "Representing India isn't just about being associated with the BCCI, it's always about something much bigger. There are so many expectations, so many plans in motion, and millions of people cheering for you. You feel that intense pride inside, even if you don't always show it externally. It really is a unique feeling. Even though we have a world-class squad with fantastic batters and bowlers, there is still that extra weight of pressure whenever you perform for the country. Cricket can change in an instant, you step out to bat, face one good ball, and the entire momentum of the match shifts. You have to be completely switched on, read the pitch, know what the team requires, and execute your plan. Especially on these kinds of surfaces, prioritising team goals over individual milestones is essential, and that's where our entire focus lies. It’s been a fantastic experience here overall. The local people have been incredibly warm and helpful, guiding us wherever we need to go, even despite the language barrier. When you're in a foreign country, seeing locals go out of their way to support you when it isn't even their job means a lot to us".

"As for the fans, sabse achha cheez yeh hai (the best part is) that no matter where we play around the world, Indian supporters show up in huge numbers and give us that extra cushion of backing. It feels like we start every game with a slight upper hand because of them. I'm deeply grateful to everyone who travels long distances to support us. Win or lose, their love is unconditional, they just want to cheer us on, keep us motivated, and ensure every player feels comfortable. That support truly means everything to us," he added. somethingsdifferent.biz

Asian Games 2026, IND vs PAK: Confirmed Playing XIs

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan: Sufiyan Muqeem, Hasan Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Saad Masood, Sahibzada Farhan (C), Saim Ayub, Ahmed Daniyal, Usman Khan (WK), Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat.

Abhishek Sharma produced another attacking innings as India made a strong start against Pakistan in the gold medal match of the Asian Games 2026 at the Korogi Athletic Park in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Saturday. India opted to bat first after winning the toss, and Abhishek gave the team the perfect start. The left-hander smashed a quick 61 off 28 balls, hitting seven sixes and giving India early momentum in the high-profile final.

IND vs PAK, Asian Games 2026 Live: Hello everyone and welcome to the live blog of the men’s cricket final match between India and Pakistan, which will be played at the Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City, Japan. Both teams will try their best to win this game to bag a gold medal in their medal tally.

The Men in Blue will aim to defend their title in this final clash. Meanwhile, their arch-rivals will also come with the winning mindset to take a gold medal with them.

Both teams are coming to this final with massive victories in their previous games. Shreyas Iyer’s Team India faced Sri Lanka in their semi-final clash, where they showed a phenomenal performance by defeating their rivals by a big margin of 124 runs. Ishan Kishan was the star performer for the Indian team in this match as he delivered a sensational performance of 80 runs off 46 balls for India.

Meanwhile, their rivals, Pakistan, are coming up with a victory over Bangladesh in the semi-final game. They registered a 6-wicket win in this match to qualify for the gold medal clash in the Asian Games 2026. In that match, Sufiyan Muqeem took a three-wicket haul to help his side to move forward in this event.

India vs Pakistan Predicted Playing XI

India Predicted XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah

Pakistan Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Maaz Sadaqat, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim

India vs Pakistan, Asian Games 2026 LIVE UPDATES HERE-

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar reckons the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian team will stick to its attacking batting template despite the tricky pitch conditions in Saturday’s Asian Games gold-medal clash against Pakistan.

“If you look at India’s last game [vs Sri Lanka], there were only two batters who fired — Vaibhav [Sooryavanshi] and Ishan [Kishan]. Both scored at [a strike rate of] 180 and 173 respectively. India will continue to bat that way and we might be disappointed with the way some batters get out. But you have to commit yourself to a template unless you’re chasing. Shreyas will mould his game slightly because this is not your typical T20 flat pitch. I don’t think they’re going to abandon their aggressive approach because of a tricky pitch,” Manjrekar told mid-day during an interaction organised by Sony Sports Network.

Manjrekar, who played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, believes the final could come down to a battle between batters and spinners. “It’s going to be India’s ability to attack spin versus Pakistan’s ability to attack spin. I think it will come down to that. You would want to back India in that battle, especially with Ishan, who is in the form of his life,” he added.