Abhishek Sharma once again demonstrated his ability to attack the bowling from the beginning. When Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed, Abhishek took the attack back to Pakistan.
Abhishek brought up a rapid half-century during India's innings. He scored at one stage at a strike rate above 250, which is when India took an aggressive approach in the Powerplay.
Pakistan's bowlers did create early opportunities, but India's middle order ensured that the pressure did not remain on the top order for long.
Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube Add Power
With wickets falling, Tilak Varma became a key part of India’s middle-order response.
Tilak’s skill in overcoming spin and pace gave India another scoring option in the middle overs. Shivam Dube also contributed a strong finish that helped India to push the scoring rate higher at the end of the innings.
The combination of Tilak and Dube gave India the late acceleration needed to put a large target on the board.
Tilak Varma clearly enjoys batting against Pakistan. Here’s the proof! 😮💨
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) October 3, 2026
Watch Pakistan vs India in the 20th Asian Games Gold Medal Match, LIVE NOW on Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV. #SonySportsNetwork #SonyLIV #AsianGames #AichiNagoya2026… pic.twitter.com/jCZu7ZAREJ
Can Pakistan chase the target?
A target of around 211 would require Pakistan to maintain a high scoring rate throughout the innings.
India has many bowling options such as Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi. The Korogi Sports Park surface has also provided some assistance to spin so it is very important for India to have middle overs bowling.
Pakistan’s batting line-up, however, includes Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan and Hasan Nawaz. If they are to stay close to India’s required rate they will need a strong Powerplay.
Gold Medal at Stake
This is the first men's cricket meeting between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games. The two nations are going to the final as the defending champions after taking gold in Hangzhou in 2023 and Pakistan are going to be attempting to win their first Asian Games cricket gold.
India reached the final after defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the semi-final. Pakistan secured their place when they beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final.
With gold on the line, India’s next challenge is to convert their batting performance into a successful defence. Pakistan will know that one strong Powerplay or a big partnership could change the match quickly.
The second innings will then decide whether India’s powerful batting display is enough to secure another Asian Games cricket gold medal.
