India edged out Pakistan in a nervy final by 19 runs to claim the Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal on Saturday at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
Winning the toss on a dicey pitch, Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first again in a bid to put on a daunting total. Following the same template from their 124-run win over Sri Lanka in the final, India put on a massive 211 runs on the board, courtesy of a quickfire start from opener Abhishek Sharma and a stellar finish from vice-captain Tilak Varma.
The tall score, however, came under a brief scare when Hazan Nawaz’s rapid half-century threatened to take the game away. With 44 required off 12 balls, Jasprit Bumrah’s penultimate over nearly shut the lid on Nawaz and Pakistan, leaving a 33-run deficit for the final over.
Despite losing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson early in the Powerplay, Abhishek’s sixes-laden half-century provided a blazing Powerplay. The left-hander eventually fell on 61 off 28 deliveries, an innings packed with three fours and seven sixes.
A middle-order wobble presented itself when Ishan Kishan and skipper Shreyas Iyer fell six balls apart. However, Tilak stepped up with a manic cameo, racing to a fifty in only 21 balls with three fours and four sixes, lifting India to a resounding total on a two-paced pitch.
In reply, Pakistan’s chase was off to a sluggish start in the Powerplay. However, a rapid half-century from Hazan Nawaz threatened India’s command in the middle-overs, with leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi leaking 44 runs in three overs. But in the end target was still a bridge too far on a sticky pitch.
The win marked India’s seventh successive win in T20Is over Pakistan since 2021 and 15th in 18 T20I meetings since 2007.
This is India’s successive gold medal in cricket at the Asian Games, joining the women’s side that has also successfully defended its gold medal from the previous Asiad in Hangzhou in 2023. The win powered India’s 19th gold medal of the ongoing edition.