India faced Sri Lanka in the second semifinal of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket event at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Thursday. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. India brought back young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as the team looked to reach the final.Key HighlightsSri Lanka won the toss and asked India to bat first.Vaibhav Sooryavanshi returned to India’s playing XI.Jasprit Bumrah also returned for the semifinal.India fielded a strong available team for the knockout match.The India vs Sri Lanka Asian Games semifinal is an important match for both teams. The winner will move into the gold medal match. India entered the semifinal after its quarterfinal against Afghanistan was washed out because of rain. Sri Lanka also reached the last four after its quarterfinal against Nepal was abandoned. The rain had caused major problems in the Asian Games cricket event. All four men’s quarterfinal matches were washed out. As a result, India and Sri Lanka reached the semifinal without playing their quarterfinal games.India came into the match with a strong squad. The India cricket team included senior fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The BCCI had earlier named both players in India’s Asian Games squad. Sooryavanshi’s return was one of the main points before the game. The young batter was part of India’s strong batting group. Bumrah’s return also added experience to the bowling attack."India captain Shreyas Iyer led the team in the semifinal. The squad also included players such as Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi."India had not played a full match in the tournament before the semifinal. The team’s quarterfinal was stopped by rain. This made the Asian Games 2026 semifinal the first major chance for India to play a full knockout game.After the quarterfinal washout, India spinner Ravi Bishnoi said the team wanted a chance to play.“Hopefully, in the upcoming games, we will get the opportunity to play some good cricket and show our game to the people here in Japan.” Sri Lanka entered the match with Sahan Arachchige as captain. The team also included players such as Lasith Croospulle, Sineth Jayawardena, Ashen Bandara and Binura Fernando. The other semifinal was played between Pakistan and Bangladesh. The winners of the two semifinals would meet in the final for the gold medal.For India, the semifinal was a chance to finally get on the field after several rain delays. With Sooryavanshi and Bumrah back in the team, India began the match with a strong mix of young talent and senior experience.
