Less than 48 hours after the ICC announced the schedule for the 2027 ODI World Cup, India and Pakistan are set to renew their rivalry in the Asian Games 2026 final in Japan on Saturday. The highly anticipated clash comes soon after the two sides were placed in the same group for the 2027 World Cup, with their ODI meeting scheduled for a Sunday. While India have enjoyed the upper hand in recent ODI meetings, the 50-over rivalry between the two neighbours continues to carry significant history and attention. Pakistan’s last ODI victory over India came in the 2017 Champions Trophy final.
The gap is even more noticeable in T20I cricket. India currently lead the head-to-head record 14-3 and have won the last six meetings between the two teams. India have also arrived in the Asian Games final after an emphatic semi-final victory over Sri Lanka, bowling them out for just 45 runs. Pakistan, meanwhile, had a tougher route to the final. Their semi-final against Bangladesh was shortened, and their batters struggled to maintain control during the chase. Abdul Samad eventually produced a crucial 30 off 15 balls to take Pakistan over the line.
India have a strong squad at their disposal, featuring the likes of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.
Sahibzada Farhan will be one of Pakistan’s key players in the Asian Games final. The opener has previously produced important performances against India, scoring 57, 58 and 40 during the T20 Asia Cup. Although Pakistan lost all three matches, Farhan’s contributions at the top provided stability during difficult situations. Pakistan will once again hope their captain can deliver a significant innings against their arch-rivals.
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For India, Sanju Samson will be looking to make an impact. Interestingly, Pakistan are the only opposition against whom Samson has a T20I strike rate below 100. His limited opportunities against them partly explain the statistic, but he will be keen to change that record in the final. Samson scored only seven runs in India’s semi-final against Sri Lanka after being bowled while attempting to move away from the delivery. He could also be required to bat at No. 3 again, potentially away from his preferred position.
Saturday is expected to bring sunny conditions in Nisshin, with only a small chance of rain during the day. The temperature is forecast to reach around 25 degrees Celsius, providing comfortable conditions for the highly anticipated final. The pitch could offer some turn and bounce, similar to the conditions witnessed during the semi-finals. Spinners and batters capable of adapting to the surface could therefore play an important role in determining the outcome of the India vs Pakistan Asian Games final.
India
India made a few notable changes for their Asian Games semi-final, bringing 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi into the playing XI while moving Sanju Samson down to No. 3. Arshdeep Singh was left out, with Jasprit Bumrah operating as the only frontline pacer. India could hand Arshdeep a game in the final to ensure he gets an opportunity to bowl in the tournament.
Probable XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan
Pakistan, meanwhile, are likely to rely on an inexperienced bowling attack. Given the turn and bounce available from the surface, they could continue with a four-spinner combination in the Asian Games final.
Probable XI: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Mohammad Wasim, Sufyan Moqim, Abrar Ahmed
