SriLanka, Oct. 1 -- Defending champions India secured their place in the men's T20 cricket gold medal match at the 20th Asian Games after thrashing Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semifinal on Thursday.

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field, with their spin-heavy attack making early inroads on a turning pitch. India lost Abhishek Sharma for seven runs before captain Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel also departed during the middle overs.

However, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided India with a crucial boost, scoring 38 off 21 deliveries to keep the innings on track.

Ishan Kishan then took control of the innings, producing an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, including five sixes and four boundaries. His aggressive batting, combined with a ...