India and Pakistan are set to renew their longstanding rivalry in the men’s cricket gold-medal decider at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, October 3. The final will take place at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, with the match scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM IST.
India arrive at this stage following a dominant 124-run victory over Sri Lanka, while Pakistan secured their semifinal berth by defeating Bangladesh by six wickets.
India are expected to retain the combination that featured in their semifinal victory. Ishan Kishan was outstanding against Sri Lanka, smashing an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed a rapid 38. Jasprit Bumrah also made an early impact with the ball. Shreyas Iyer and his team will be looking forward to the marquee clash against their arch-rivals, as India aim to defend their gold from the last edition.
Pakistan could also stick with the side that played the semifinal. Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz played decisive roles against Bangladesh, while Sufyan Moqim impressed with the ball by claiming three wickets.
India vs Pakistan Probable Playing 11
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: 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.
Full India Squad
India: Shreyas Iyer (c), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam.
Full Pakistan Squad
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Haider Ali, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Arafat Minhas, Saad Masood, Maaz Sadaqat, Ali Raza.