# India Retains Asian Games Men's Cricket Gold with 19-Run Win Over Pakistan **By Arjun Mehta** \nPublished October 3, 2026 \nUpdated October 3, 2026 > A fiery 61 from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma's late half-century pushed India to 211 for 6 before Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube held off Hasan Nawaz's 96-run counterattack in Nagoya. India secured a second consecutive Asian Games men's cricket title in Nisshin on Saturday, fending off a ferocious late run chase from Pakistan to earn a 19-run victory at Korogi Sports Park. The result completed a gold-medal double for Indian cricket at the 2026 Games, following the women's team's victory over Sri Lanka on September 22. After posting 211 for 6—the highest team total of the men's tournament in Aichi-Nagoya—India's bowling attack stalled a valiant 96 from Hasan Nawaz, holding Pakistan to 192 for 6. ## Explosive Starts and Death-Over Acceleration Opting to bat after captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss, India established an aggressive tempo from the outset. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi set the tone in the second over, pulling Saad Masood for consecutive sixes in a 24-run over that saw the bowler immediately taken off. Though Sooryavanshi fell four balls later for 15 while attempting a reverse sweep off Saim Ayub—who celebrated with a rocking-baby gesture—opener Abhishek Sharma took command of the Powerplay. Ranked second in the world among T20 batters, Sharma reached a 20-ball half-century while capitalizing on early lapses in the field. After surviving two dropped catches and a missed run-out opportunity on 46 when Ahmed Daniyal's throw missed the stumps, Sharma compiled 61 off 28 deliveries, featuring seven sixes and three fours. Left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas finally broke the opening surge by having Sharma stumped in the eighth over. Minhas temporarily contained the scoring rate through the middle overs, bowling Ishan Kishan for 20 and restricting Iyer to 21. Minhas finished with figures of 2 for 25 as India reached 133 for 5 after 15 overs. However, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube seized control during the death overs, assembling a 62-run partnership off 30 balls for the sixth wicket. Varma brought up his half-century in 21 balls to finish unbeaten on 51 off 22 deliveries with four sixes, while Dube added 27 off 15. Together, they drove India to 69 runs over the final four overs to push the score past 200. ## Hasan Nawaz's Pursuit Meets India's Precision Chasing 212—a target that surpassed Pakistan's previous best score in T20 internationals batting second, 208 for 3 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele—Pakistan struggled early against India's spin attack. Washington Sundar made the opening breakthrough by dismissing Sahibzada Farhan, while Axar Patel removed Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat (23) to leave Pakistan at 39 for 3 after the Powerplay and 76 for 3 at the halfway point. Hasan Nawaz kept Pakistan's hopes alive with an impressive counterattack, combining with Ayub (29) in an 87-run fourth-wicket partnership. Nawaz reached his half-century in 28 balls and struck seven sixes overall to keep the required rate manageable. The crucial breakthrough came at the start of the 15th over when Dube induced a miscue from Ayub, who was caught by a diving Sundar running in from square leg with Pakistan on 126 for 4. With 52 runs required from the final three overs, Sundar dismissed Abdul Samad to long-on. Entering the 19th over needing 44 runs at 168 for 5, India turned to Jasprit Bumrah, who delivered a tight over yielding just 11 runs. That left Pakistan needing 33 runs from the final over bowled by Dube. Nawaz continued hitting late boundaries to reach 96 off 51 balls before falling on the final delivery attempting a cleared boundary. Asian Games 2026 Men's Final In-Game ComparisonInnings BenchmarkIndia (211/6)Pakistan (192/6)Powerplay Score81/2 (6.0 overs)39/3 (6.0 overs)Mid-Innings Mark114/3 (10.0 overs)76/3 (10.0 overs)Top ScorerAbhishek Sharma (61 off 28)Hasan Nawaz (96 off 51)Key Bowling PerformersArafat Minhas (2/25)Axar Patel & Washington Sundar (Key Wickets) ## Neutral Turf, Diplomatic Distance, and Continental Gold The fixture took place under tense diplomatic conditions that reflect the ongoing political standoff between the two countries. Competing strictly on neutral territory in international events, captains Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan skipped the traditional pre-match handshake. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi did not attend the match due to prior commitments. Following the final wicket, Indian players celebrated the victory by carrying their national flag around Korogi Sports Park. > A huge occasion when you are playing Pakistan in the final, the whole country is watching and you have that pressure, said India captain Shreyas Iyer. I told my teammates 'let's not get overwhelmed by the occasion. We need to stick to what we have been doing'... Even though we did not get much opportunity to practise (due to weather), today was the right opportunity for us to show our character. Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson expressed satisfaction with the development of his young squad despite the loss. > We decided to bring some young bowlers and give them some experience and opportunity, Hesson noted. They will learn a heck of a lot from this. I'm really pleased the way they performed with the ball. We could have been chasing 240 easily. ### Asian Games Men's Podium In the third-place playoff held earlier in the day, Sri Lanka captured the bronze medal by defeating Bangladesh by 63 runs. Combined with India's gold and Pakistan's silver, South Asian teams swept the podium places in the men's tournament in Japan. ## Sources - [timesofindia.indiatimes.com](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/asian-games-2026-mens-t20/gold-medal-india-beat-pakistan-by-19-runs-defends-asian-games-crown-in-mens-cricket/articleshow/134654850.cms) — original - [theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/oct/03/india-beat-pakistan-win-asian-games-cricket-gold-t20) — original - [channelnewsasia.com](https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/games-india-beat-pakistan-in-final-complete-cricket-double-6428951) — original - [dubai92.com](https://www.dubai92.com/news/sports-news/india-beat-pakistan-in-final-to-complete-cricket-double/) — original