Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has once again stepped up for India in the Asian Games as this time he scored a well-made 38 off just 21 balls on a difficult pitch against Sri Lanka in the Semi-Final. India lost
a couple of early wickets in the powerplay, with the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson settling for single-digit scores. The 15-year-old ensured that the powerplay didn’t go entirely in favour of the bowling side as he scored some exquisite boundaries. Vaibhav’s intent in the latter half of the powerplay set the momentum for the rest of the innings for India.
Sri Lanka managed to land two early blows within the first half of the powerplay, and India seemed to be in a spot of bother. Then, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi managed to pull things back for India in the powerplay, and he scored 6 fours and 2 sixes in his innings.
Despite the failure of the top 4, Sooryavanshi’s early blitz laid the foundation for the middle order to provide some handy runs. India managed to reach a decent total of 169 after 20 overs, and Sri Lanka would have an uphill task to chase down the target against a lethal Indian bowling unit.
A fiery cameo by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi up top 🔥
He walks back for 38(21) and #TeamIndia are 62/3 after 7 overs.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/DjHV9q6htT#AsianGames pic.twitter.com/bmBm1W8Acn
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 1, 2026
Sooryavanshi’s fearless cameo calms early nerves for India
In the Semi-Final of the Asian Games 2026, Sri Lanka won the toss and decided to bowl first. India seemed to be looking to set up a massive total on board with their fearless batting approach. However, things didn’t go as planned for the Men in Blue as they lost Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the first 3 overs of the game.
Sahan Arachchige and Tharindu Rathnayake provided much-needed breakthroughs for their side, and they limited India to just 24 runs in the first half of the powerplay.
However, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had other plans, as he was willing to take on the bowlers even though the wickets kept falling at the other end. The left-handed prodigy led the charge for India, and he shifted the pressure back onto the bowling side. Sooryavanshi scored 38 off just 21 balls, with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
The controlled aggression from the teenager helped India get off to a flying start after the nervy initial overs. Sahan Arachchige got the better of the youngster as he bowled it wider when he spotted Vaibhav coming down the track, and he mistimed the shot. It was similar to the dismissal of Abhishek Sharma and the explosive cameo came to an abrupt end.
India’s innings was carried forward by Ishan Kishan, who scored a stellar 80 off just 46 balls, and that helped India cross the 160-run mark.
