India will face Pakistan for the gold medal in the Asian Games 2026 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on October 3. The Men in Blue have won their last six meetings against Pakistan, but their arch-rivals have several match-winners in their lineup.
India have also won 14 of their 17 T20I meetings with Pakistan and are unbeaten in their last eight matches in the format. Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, ranked first and second among T20I batters, will be central to India’s batting plans.
The teams last met at the T20 World Cup in February, when India won by 61 runs. India posted 175 after Kishan scored 77 off 40 balls at a strike rate of 192.5. Saim Ayub took three wickets, but Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel claimed two each to bowl them out for 114.
The squad also includes the world’s No. 1-ranked T20I bowler, No. 2-ranked all-rounder and No. 3-ranked batter, giving them players who can change the game in different phases of the final.
Sahibzada Farhan
Sahibzada Farhan will have an important role at the top of Pakistan’s batting order. The captain has shown that he can absorb pressure early and build an innings, which could be particularly valuable against India’s experienced new-ball attack.
Farhan was the leading run-scorer at the 2026 T20 World Cup, finishing with 383 runs in seven matches at an average of 76.60, including two centuries. He recorded a rare failure in the semi-final against Bangladesh, where he was dismissed for one.
Farhan has scored 155 runs in four T20I innings against India at an average of 38.75 and a strike rate of 118.32, including two half-centuries. He holds the record for the most sixes (9) by a Pakistani batter against India in T20I cricket. During the Asia Cup, he scored 40 off 44 balls and 58 off 45 balls.
Saim Ayub
Saim Ayub gives Pakistan an attacking option at the top of the order while also providing a useful bowling option. The left-hander can put pressure on bowlers during the powerplay, while his off-spin gives the team another way to control the middle overs.
Ayub made an impact in the rain-shortened semi-final against Bangladesh. He scored 21 off 12 balls, including two sixes, before returning figures of 1/3 from his two overs as the team restricted Bangladesh to 111/7 in 13 overs.
Ayub has scored 41 runs in four T20I innings against India at an average of 10.25 and a strike rate of 132.25. He holds career-best T20I bowling figures of 3/25, which he recorded during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Maaz Sadaqat
Maaz Sadaqat could give Pakistan a significant advantage if the Korogi Sports Park surface continues to assist spin. The slow left-arm orthodox bowler can operate in the middle overs and put pressure on India’s batters while also contributing valuable runs at the top of the order.
Sadaqat will enter the final in excellent batting form after producing two big scores in the Caribbean Premier League in September. He smashed 112 off 49 balls and followed it with 114 off 58.
He also contributed in the semi-final against Bangladesh, scoring 15 off seven balls. With the ball, Sadaqat previously claimed 3/23 against Bangladesh to win the Player of the Match award. He was also named Player of the Series in the 2025 Rising Stars tournament.
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