NISSHIN: Defending champions India will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal match here at the Korogi Sports Park on Saturday.

Led by Shreyas Iyer and featuring experienced pros like Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah,

India have considerable depth and experience.

India’s main strength is their versatile middle-order, showcased by Ishan Kishan‘s unbeaten 80 that steered them to a massive win in the semi-final against Sri Lanka.

Nevertheless, maintaining top-order consistency is crucial on challenging surfaces, as openers Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi must find a balance between attack and defence early on.

With Bumrah’s significant ability with the new ball alongside spinners Axar and Ravi Bishnoi, India’s tactical aim will be to fully utilise the powerplay overs.

On the other hand, under the leadership of Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan’s young squad will rely largely on enthusiasm and a strong bowling line-up against a well-oiled Indian team.

Their bowling attack, highlighted by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed along with Sufiyan Muqeem and pacers Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Akif Javed, excels in defending small totals or pressuring opponent batters in middle overs.

Perhaps the greatest challenge for the Green-shirts will be their top-order batting.

Openers Farhan and Saim Ayub need to build a strong foundation while ensuring the run-rate doesn’t drop.

To strike gold, Pakistan’s fast bowlers need to make early breakthroughs while keeping strict line-and-length discipline to prevent India’s strong batting line-up from dominating.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026