India win toss, bat first in Asian Games cricket final against Pakistan

India won the toss and elected to bat first in the Asian Games men’s cricket final against Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan on Saturday.

Pakistan head into the match knowing this is their best chance yet to claim a first gold in the men’s event. Under captain Sahibzada Farhan, they showed in the semi-final win — the only match of the campaign not washed out by rain — over Bangladesh, and arrive with a settled batting core of Farhan, Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad.

Their bowling hopes rest largely on the spin of Abrar Ahmed and Sufyan Moqim, who will look to exploit any turn on a surface that has already assisted the slower bowlers.

Facing them are defending champions India, who have looked strong with Jasprit Bumrah leading the attack and Ishan Kishan in excellent form with the bat.

The contest is expected to be tight, with both sides relying heavily on spin in the middle overs.

For Pakistan it is a rare opportunity to end a long wait for Asian Games men’s cricket gold; for India it is a chance to retain the title they won in Hangzhou three years ago.

Teams:

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), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim.