India produced an all-round performance to defeat Pakistan by 19 runs in the men's cricket final of the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday, October 3.
The victory in Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, ensured India retained the men's cricket gold medal they won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Pakistan finished at 192/6 in their 20 overs while chasing India's target of 212.
The final brought together the two cricket rivals in a major Asian Games title clash with India as title favorites.
India Post 211/6
After winning the toss, India opted to bat first and produced an imposing total of 211/6 in 20 overs.
Abhishek Sharma gave India an explosive start with a quick half-century. He attacked Pakistan's bowling during the powerplay and helped India to a good scoring rate.
Tilak Varma then played an instrumental role in the final stages of the innings. His 51 from 22 balls provided India with the late acceleration needed to cross the 200-run mark. Shivam Dube also contributed a quick 27.
Pakistan Fight Until the End
Pakistan began the chase with the challenge of scoring 212 runs from 20 overs.
The Pakistani batting order kept the match alive, with Hasan Nawaz scoring 84 from 45 balls. His aggressive innings gave Pakistan hope in the middle and later stages of the chase.
However, Pakistan could not maintain the required scoring rate in the final overs. India continued to take important wickets and restricted Pakistan to 192/6 after 20 overs.
India Won Asian Games Gold Clinches
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Sundar and Dube make crucial contributions.
India's bowlers kept the pressure on Pakistan during the chase.
Washington Sundar finished with two wickets while Shivam Dube also took two wickets. Their breakthroughs denied Pakistan from converting its good position into a successful chase.
India's disciplined bowling in the final stages eventually sealed a 19-run victory.
Back-to-Back Asian Games Gold
The victory makes India successfully defend their men's cricket title in the Asian Games.
India had won gold at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, after their final against Afghanistan was cancelled due to rain and India were awarded the title based on their higher ranking. So the 2026 edition offered India a chance to win the competition on the field.
India had reached the 2026 final after defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final while Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their last-four encounter.
