The Road to the Final

The stakes couldn't be higher for the Indian squad. As the holders of the gold medal from the previous edition, India is determined to maintain its dominance on the continental stage. The winner of this encounter will face Pakistan in the grand finale. Pakistan has already secured their place in the championship match after a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in a rain-shortened first semifinal.

Sanju Samson on India's Cricket Growth

Ahead of this massive encounter, Indian wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson highlighted the robust ecosystem that has fueled the nation's cricketing rise. He credited both the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the rigorous domestic circuit for producing world-class talent.

"We will try our maximum. Whatever we can do, we will try our maximum," Samson stated, emphasizing the depth of Indian cricket. "It's a known fact nowadays how strong Indian cricket has grown over the last so many years. Definitely, IPL plays a huge role, but I feel our domestic cricket is also playing a huge role... our grooming teams are really nicely placed—the Mushtaq Ali, the Vijay Hazare, the Ranji Trophy."

Samson also noted the importance of the Under-19 programs, which travel abroad frequently to sharpen young players before they transition to the senior national side.

Inspiration from Virat Kohli

When asked about the legendary Virat Kohli, who recently notched his 86th international century against the West Indies, Samson expressed immense respect for the veteran. "We are very, very fortunate to have someone like him. Whenever he scores runs... it's a great inspiration for people like us still playing the game in the Indian national team," he remarked.

Match Lineups

India Playing XI:
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.

Sri Lanka Playing XI:
Lasith Croospulle, Sineth Jayawardena, Sohan de Livera (wk), Ashen Bandara, Sahan Arachchige (c), Nuwanidu Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanuja Sahan, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Tharindu Ratnayake, Binura Fernando.