Nisshin: India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s T20 cricket final at the Asian Games on Saturday to retain their gold medal.
Batting first after winning the toss, India posted 211 for six in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma provided a fast start with 61 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma finished the innings strongly with an unbeaten 51 off just 22 deliveries.
Pakistan faced a target of 212 but managed 192 for six in their allotted 20 overs. Hasan Nawaz kept the chase alive with an impressive 96 from 51 balls, but India continued to pick up wickets at crucial stages and prevented Pakistan from completing the chase.
India’s bowlers had Pakistan under pressure early in the innings. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube took two wickets each as Pakistan struggled to maintain the required scoring rate.
The victory gave India their second successive gold medal in men’s cricket at the Asian Games. India had also won the men’s gold at the previous edition in Hangzhou.
The result also completed a cricket gold-medal double for India at the 2026 Asian Games, with the Indian women’s team having already won the women’s T20 final.
For Pakistan, Hasan Nawaz’s 96 was the standout performance during the chase. He was dismissed from the final ball of the innings, leaving Pakistan 19 runs short of India’s total.
