‘It’s always about India here’ – Ishan Kishan ahead of Asian Games gold medal clash with Pakistan

Cricknation Update: Ishan Kishan (Photo Source: BCCI) India will face Pakistan in the cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games on Saturday, October 3, in what will be a historic encounter between the two countries.

This will be the first time that both the teams will face each other for the gold medal in the Asian Games. India are the defending champions and reached the final after a dominant semi-final performance against Sri Lanka on October 1. India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final, with the island nation folding for 45 inside 10 overs.

Ishan Kishan top-scored with 80 not out off 46 balls, striking five sixes and four boundaries to power India to 169 for 7. Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma performed brilliantly and took two wickets each. Kishan said that he focused on keeping things simple.

He assserted that he stays in the moment instead of worrying about what lies ahead. “Just keeping it simple, you don’t think so much. We played today and we know the conditions will not be so easy.

Especially, they are also a spinner-friendly team,” Kishan said while speaking to reporters during the post-match press conference. “At the same time, you know, you just don’t think about what’s going to hpen after two days. You just keep calm, you play your shots, you be in the moment and just enjoy those crunch moments,” Kishan said.

Due to the unique pressure of playing for India in the Asian Games, Kishan became emotional when asked about the chances of winning a gold medal for his country. He admitted there will be pressure when the two arch-rivals clash on Saturday. “I was thinking about it, and it makes a difference in your heart, at least, you know, when you are playing for India, especially when it is about medals.

And it is not just about being related to BCCI,” Kishan said. “It’s always about India here. There are a lot of flags flying around and a lot of people cheering for you.

So you get that feeling inside, even though you don’t show it. But yeah, I think you get that feeling like this is a different kind of thing, even if we have a very good side and we have those bowlers, we have those batters. But still, I feel there’s a bit more pressure here, to be very honest,” Ishan said.

Also read: Ishan Kishan surpasses Virat Kohli’s tally of fifty-plus in 2016, comes close to Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I record Pakistan reached the final after defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in the first semi-final on Thursday. Bangladesh scored 111 runs for 7 wickets and Pakistan completed the chase with nine balls to spare in a match limited to 13 overs per team in a rain-affected match. The Pakistan team was led by Sahibzada Farhan and did not include Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.

India and Pakistan have played each other once in men’s cricket in 2026, with India winning the Men’s T20 World Cup. The gold medal match on October 3 provides another opportunity for the two sides to compete at the Asian Games, with both teams seeking to claim the top prize in the continental tournament.