India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asian Games final: Shreyas Iyer opts to bat, snubs handshake; all over to Sooryavanshi

India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asian Games 2026 final: Follow latest updates from the gold-medal match in Aichi Nagoya.

India take on Pakistan in Asian Games gold medal match (PTI)

India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asian Games 2026 final: The Asian champions and two-time defending T20 Cup winners, India, take on Pakistan in the blockbuster face-off in Nisshin with the eye on the gold medal. For India, it will be a second consecutive top-of-the-podium finish in men's cricket and a second straight double sweep in the sport at the Asian Games, after the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women's team had clinched the gold earlier in the campaign. Pakistan, on the other hand, are looking for their first-ever gold in men's cricket....Read More

Follow all the updates here:

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:55:10 AM IST

  Sanjay Manjrekar's warning ahead of finale

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:46:15 AM IST

  Here's Pakistan's playing XI

  Sahibzada Farhan(c), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan(w), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:44:39 AM IST

  Just a reminder…NO NAQVI TODAY!

  Due to prior commitments, Naqvi will not be present on the day of the final, implying no awkward moment in Japan. The medals will, in fact, be presented by ICC chairman Jay Shah, Hiroki Kondo, Nisshin City mayor, and Nilo Jayatolake, Vice President, National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:37:56 AM IST

  Batting till No. 9?

  That's a batting-heavy unit with three regular spinners, one part-timer in Abhishek and two pace options.

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:31:07 AM IST

  Toss time!

  India opt to bat first against Pakistan. And NO HANDSHAKE there…had to put it out there.

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:23:27 AM IST

  Is today the day for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

  No nerves. No fear. No self-doubt.
  
  But India vs Pakistan is a different beast 🇮🇳🇵🇰
  
  For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, this is the pressure cooker clash that can mature him beyond his years.
  
  ✍️ @aditya_bh16 https://t.co/SBDgCNle5C

  — HT Sports (@SportsbyHT) October 2, 2026

  Indian cricket has produced legends against Pakistan. The great Sachin Tendulkar made his debut against them in 1989 and, some 14 years later, played one of the most breathtaking knocks of his career at Centurion in the World Cup. Virat Kohli relishes batting against Pakistan. He could never play a Test against them like Tendulkar, but in 17 ODI innings, Kohli has plundered 778 runs at an average of 59.84, with four hundreds.

  Is today the day for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:13:07 AM IST

  Sri Lanka take bronze

  Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 63 runs to finish third in men's cricket. Tharindu Ratnayake is the real hero for Sri Lanka with his all-round performance -- 65 off 32 and two wickets for 18.

  This is Sri Lanka's second medal in men's cricket at the Asian Games, having clinched gold in 2014, after beating Afghanistan, an edition where India did not participate. In fact, India made their men's cricket debut at the Asiad in 2022.

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:09:52 AM IST

  Will India make any changes?

  Interim coach VVS Laxman got the combo right, especially with the batting line-up – keeping Sooryavanshi at top with Abhishek, using Ishan and Iyer as spin specialists at the top and derailing Tilak's entry, with the batter vulnerable against spinners.

• 3 Oct 2026, 09:06:40 AM IST

  What will decide the match?

  Spin! That's what has dictated most of the matches at the Asian Games this time. Spin has amounted for 70 wickets in the men's competition, at just 15.25, with an economy rate of 5.94. Pacers have picked 26 wickets at almost 20. India, who have featured four spinners in their only completed game thus far, picked up five wickets at just 6.4 -- the best among all teams. Pakistan spinners, on the other hand, have averaged 8.1.

• 3 Oct 2026, 08:37:45 AM IST

  Rain threat today?

  Fortunately NO! The chance of rain is well below 20% during the match hours, implying we are all set for the game, and a result.

  But…BUT! Should there be a weather intervention in the game, resulting in a no result, the gold will be shared between the two teams.

• 3 Oct 2026, 08:24:00 AM IST

  What does the squad look like for the two teams?

  Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan(c), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan(w), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim, Saad Masood, Ali Raza, Akif Javed, Haider Ali

  India Squad: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Yash Thakur, Vipraj Nigam

• 3 Oct 2026, 08:14:58 AM IST

  Hello and welcome!

  Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of the men's cricket gold medal match between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games. Stay tuned for more updates!