Nisshin (Rajeev Sharma): India held their nerve in a tense Asian Games final to defeat Pakistan by 19 runs and successfully retain the men’s cricket gold medal on Saturday at Korogi Sports Park.
After winning the toss, India captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat first on a challenging surface. The decision paid off as India posted 211 runs, setting Pakistan a demanding target on a pitch that became increasingly difficult to bat on.
Abhishek Sharma provided India with an explosive start, taking the attack to the Pakistani bowlers during the Powerplay. Despite the early dismissals of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson, the left-hander continued to find the boundary before completing a blistering half-century.
Abhishek eventually departed for 61 from just 28 balls, striking three fours and seven sixes. India then faced a brief setback when Ishan Kishan and Iyer were dismissed within a few deliveries, leaving the middle order under pressure.
Tilak Varma responded in spectacular fashion. The Indian vice-captain reached his fifty in only 21 deliveries, hitting three fours and four sixes to provide the late acceleration India needed. His aggressive knock helped India cross the 200-run mark despite the two-paced nature of the pitch.
Pakistan’s chase began cautiously, but Hazan Nawaz changed the momentum with an attacking half-century. His innings briefly raised hopes of a dramatic turnaround as Pakistan began closing the gap.
India, however, regained control during the closing stages. Jasprit Bumrah delivered a crucial penultimate over that significantly reduced Pakistan’s chances, leaving the side requiring 33 runs from the final six balls.
Pakistan could not complete the chase and finished 19 runs short, handing India another Asian Games cricket title.
The victory extended India’s unbeaten run against Pakistan in T20 internationals to seven matches since 2021, while India have now won 15 of their 18 T20I meetings against their neighbours since 2007.
The triumph also means India have successfully defended the men’s cricket gold won at the previous Asian Games. The women’s team had earlier achieved the same feat, making it a double gold-medal defence for Indian cricket.
The result also took India’s gold-medal tally at the ongoing Asian Games to 19, adding another major title to the country’s campaign.
