India vs Pakistan LIVE score, Asian Games cricket final: IND opts to bat first, names unchanged XI; Sooryavanshi, Abhishek opening

After getting used to playing on flat decks home, the Indian batters have struggled to score runs in their two matches in Japan so far.

In the first match, confronted by a wicket that was low and slow, India nearly lost to Japan after managing only 32/4 from its five overs in a rain-shortened game.

In its first match in the Asian Games 2026 against Sri Lanka, a similar tale unfolded as India’s batters, barring Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to an extent, struggled to adapt to a turning wicket that did not allow for easy runs.

With similar conditions set to prevail in the final and a gold medal at stake, India should tread carefully and learn from its mistakes.