WATCH: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s EXPLOSIVE knock on return to Team India in Asian Games 2026 semifinal

Indian opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got his side off to a flying start in Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Sri Lanka in Nisshin on Thursday.

Written by: Devadyuti Das

Published: October 1, 2026, 11:57 AM IST

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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi bats against Sri Lanka in Asian Games 2026 semifinal on Thursday(Photo: PTI)

Asian Games 2026: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had to wait for a long time to return to the Indian playing 11 in the T20I format of the game after winning a ‘Player of the Series’ award against Zimbabwe in July this yearBut Sooryavanshi made his return to the Indian side count in a high-pressure Asian Games 2026 semifinal against Sri Lanka on a tough pitch at the Korogi Spots Park in Nisshin on Thursday.

Sooryavanshi, who was not picked for any of the three T20I matches against Afghanistan last month in New Delhi, was back opening the innings with Abhishek Sharma with Sanju Samson asked to moved down to the No3 positionIt was the first match that Shreyas Iyer’s Team India were playing after their quarterfinal against Afghanistan was washed out without a ball being bowled on Monday.

On a pitch where every Indian batter struggled barring Ishan Kishan, Sooryavanshi looked at ease and took the attack to the Sri Lankan batterThe 15-year-old Indian batter, on his Asian Games debut, smashed 38 off 21 balls with 2 sixes and six fours after Sri Lankan captain Sahan Arachchige won the toss and elected to bowl first.

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Sooryavanshi was just playing his 7th T20I match for India in a game which Team India must win to remain in hunt for retaining the Asian Games gold medal which they had won three years back in Hangzhou under the captaincy of Ruturaj GaikwadThe knock from the Rajasthan Royals opener was even more important after India lost Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson with just 24 runs on the board in the first three overs.

The Bihar youngster got his innings going with a couple of early boundaries off Tharindu Rathnayake and Arachchige in the first couple of oversHe then started to open up in the fourth over of the innings along side his skipper Shreyas Iyer with back-to-back fours off pacer Binura Fernando.

He then smashed a hat-trick of boundaries – 4, 6, 4 – against Rathnayake to bring up India’s fifty in the 5th over of the innings in spite of losing a couple of early wicketsWhile Iyer was struggling to get going at the other end, Sooryavanshi rounded off the Powerplay with his second six off Binura Fernando.

But just went Indian fans were hoping for a big knock from Sooryavanshi, he was caught behind off Arachchige for 38 as Indians lost their third wicket for 58 runs in the 7th over of the innings.

Ishan Kishan lifts India to 169

After Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, world No1 T20I batter Ishan Kishan took over the proceedings in the middleIndia kept losing wickets at the other end but Kishan bought up his eighth T20I fifty of 2026 in only 32 balls.

Thanks to Kishan’s unbeaten knock of 80 off 46 balls with five sixes and four fours, Shreyas Iyer’s side posted a competitive score of 169 for 7 in 20 overs on a pitch with plenty of turn and bounce on offer.