India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to retain the men’s cricket gold at the Asian Games after a tense final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday. India posted 211 for six before Pakistan reached 192 for six in reply.
India made a fast start after choosing to bat. Abhishek Sharma smashed 61 from 28 balls, hitting three fours and seven sixes.
Pakistan pulled India back when Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer fell within six balls of each other. Tilak Varma then restored the momentum with a rapid half-century.
Tilak reached 50 from only 21 balls, striking three fours and four sixes. His late hitting pushed India beyond 200 and gave Pakistan a demanding target on a difficult surface.
Pakistan struggled early in the chase but Hasan Nawaz changed the tempo with an aggressive half-century. His assault brought Pakistan back into contention and forced India to defend a shrinking margin.
Ravi Bishnoi struggled to contain the Pakistan attack. The leg-spinner conceded 44 runs from his three overs as Pakistan found regular boundaries.
India needed a decisive spell at the death, and Jasprit Bumrah delivered.
Pakistan required 44 runs from the final two overs. Bumrah conceded only 11, leaving Pakistan needing 33 from the final six balls.
Pakistan could not produce the required finish and ended on 192, 19 runs short.
The victory gave India their second successive men’s cricket gold at the Asian Games after their success in Hangzhou in 2023. India also retained the women’s cricket gold earlier in the Games.
The result extended India’s recent dominance over Pakistan in T20 internationals. India have now won seven successive T20Is against Pakistan since 2021 and 15 of their 18 meetings since 2007.
