Hangzhou: The Indian men’s cricket team entered the final after registering a massive win over Bangladesh at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games semifinal by 9 wickets (with 64 balls remaining) on Friday.
In the gold medal match, India will face the winner of Pakistan vs. Afghanistan's second semifinal on Saturday.
In the semifinal, it took just 9.2 overs for India to chase down 97.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad set the ball rolling early, offsetting the departure of Yashasvi Jaiswal. Tilak Verma fed off the dominance Gaikwad showcased, and ultimately overtook Gaikwad, registering a 26-ball 55, with his fifty coming off 25 balls and skipper Gaikwad's 40 runs, guided India to victory.
India's decision to field first proved astute as Bangladesh struggled to find its footing.
Bangladesh’s Pervez Hossain Emon's painstaking 23 was the highest individual score, while most of the team faltered in single digits.
Jaker Ali's resilient unbeaten 24 and Rakibul Hasan's brief cameo of 14 pushed Bangladesh to a modest 96/9 in 20 overs.
The Indian spinners, led by Sai Kishore (3/12) and Washington Sundar (2/15), dominated the proceedings. The disciplined bowling performance included contributions from Tilak Varma, Ravi Bishnoi, debutant Shahbaz Ahmed, and Arshdeep Singh, each grabbing a wicket.
Brief score: Bangladesh 96/9 (Jaker Ali* 24, Parvez Hossain 23; Sai Kishore 3/12, Washington Sundar 2/15), India 97/1 (Tilak Verma* 55, Ruturaj Gaikawad* 40; Ripon Mondol 1/26) win by 9 wickets.