India and Pakistan to meet in Asian Games 2026 men's cricket final; BCCI handshake policy unchanged
India and Pakistan will meet in the men’s cricket gold-medal match at the 2026 Asian Games on October 3 at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. As of the latest PTI report, there is no confirmed change in the BCCI policy followed so far regarding handshakes with Pakistan.
India entered the tournament as the defending champions and the men’s cricket event in Japan now reaches its concluding matches, with both the bronze and gold-medal contests remaining. Pakistan booked their place in the final by beating Bangladesh in the first semi-final, while India advanced after a 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in the second semi-final.
In the second semi-final Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl. India slipped to 24/2 after early wickets of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson before Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 38 from 21 balls helped rebuild momentum. Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, hitting four fours and five sixes as India finished on 169/7 from 20 overs to set a target of 170.
Sri Lanka’s chase collapsed as they were bowled out for 45 in 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma claimed two wickets each, while Washington Sundar took one.
Pakistan had already secured their final berth by defeating Bangladesh in the first semi-final, setting up the India–Pakistan gold-medal clash on Saturday. The fixture will determine the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket champion.
On administrative matters, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia is reaching Nagoya on October 1 (Thursday) and will watch the final on Saturday. There could also be a discussion between the top officials of the Indian Olympic Association and the people running Indian cricket, and any further decision could become clear after discussions between the officials.
The gold-medal match on October 3 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin will decide the men’s cricket champion, with the BCCI secretary in attendance and officials expected to confer ahead of the game regarding the handshake issue.