Pakistan began their chase of 212 runs with an attacking approach in the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket gold-medal final against India.
India had 211/6 after being asked to set the target, leaving Pakistan needing 212 to win the gold medal. The chase started with Pakistan looking to make the most of the early overs and keep themselves ahead of the required run rate.
However, India's spin attack quickly produced two important breakthroughs.
Washington Sundar Removes Pakistan Captain
Washington Sundar delivered India's first major blow by dismissing Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan.
The wicket for Farhan was particularly significant because he was at the top of Pakistan’s batting order. His early departure denied Pakistan the chance to develop a substantial opening partnership and gave India an opportunity to put pressure on the chasing side.
Sundar’s breakthrough also showed India’s decision to use spin early in the innings rather than relying only on pace.
Axar Patel Strikes in the Next Over
India then received another boost when Axar Patel removed Usman Khan in the next over.
The back-to-back wickets meant Pakistan lost both Farhan and Usman during the early stages of the chase.
With just two wickets down, Pakistan needed the middle order to rebuild the innings and continue to score quickly. It was an important challenge as the target required a strong scoring rate over the course of the remaining overs to achieve a good score with the middle order.
Pakistan reaches 36/2 After Five Overs
According to the BCCI's live match centre, Pakistan were 36/2 at five overs, and the team needed another 176 runs from the remaining 15 overs.
The score is leaving the contest open, and Pakistan still has eight wickets to play. But India's early wickets have prevented Pakistan from getting the kind of dominant Powerplay start they would have wanted.
The pressure will now move to Pakistan's middle order, while India's bowlers will try to sustain control through the middle overs.
PAKISTAN CAPTAIN GONE!
— Anil Bansal (@dilseanilbansal) October 3, 2026
WASHINGTON SUNDAR STRIKES!
Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan departs for 10 off 11 balls, caught by Patel off Washington Sundar.
The pressure of the Asian Games Gold Medal Final is showing.
🇮🇳 India have struck again — and Pakistan are losing wickets… pic.twitter.com/MQ47JoRSWS
India Defend a Challenging Total
India's first innings produced 211/6 which meant their bowlers had a large target to try to defend.
The batting effort included an aggressive contribution from Abhishek Sharma and a strong middle-order performance by Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube. India's total meant Pakistan would need to score consistently with boundary-scoring and not lose wickets at regular intervals.
India's bowling attack includes Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi and Jasprit Bumrah, giving captain Shreyas Iyer several options as the chase goes on. The confirmed playing XIs include all four players.
Gold Medal on Line
The match is played on October 3, 2026 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. India won the toss and elected to bat first.
India is the defending Asian Games men's cricket champions, while Pakistan is trying to win their first men's cricket gold at the Games.
The chase is still alive with Pakistan at 36/2 after five overs in hand. India's early wickets have provided the champions with some momentum but Pakistan still have lots of time to get their batsmen back together. The next few overs will determine whether Pakistan can rebuild their innings or India will close the gold medal game.
