India Beat Pakistan By 19 Runs To Win Asian Games Cricket Gold

India won the Asian Games cricket gold medal in Japan on Saturday, beating Pakistan by 19 runs in the men's final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. India made 211 for 6 from their 20 overs. Pakistan replied with 192 for 6. Abhishek Sharma struck 61 from 28 balls at the top of the innings, and Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 51 from 22.

Hasan Nawaz almost carried the chase alone. He made 96 from 51 balls. Three Indian bowlers took two wickets each, accounting for all six that fell. It is India's second men's title in a row at the Asian Games, and the first they have won by playing a final out.

Abhishek and Tilak build 211

India batted first. Abhishek went after the new ball at once, clearing the ropes seven times and hitting three fours in a 28-ball 61. CricTracker reported that those seven sixes were the joint-most by any batter in an India against Pakistan T20 international.

Tilak took over later in the innings. His 51 came off 22 deliveries with three fours and four sixes, and he was unbeaten at the close. Pakistan's wickets were shared, with Ahmed Daniyal and Arafat Minhas taking two each according to CricTracker. The same outlet records the 211 for 6 as India's highest T20 international total against Pakistan, beating the 192 for 5 they made in Ahmedabad in 2012.

• India 211 for 6 in 20 overs
• Pakistan 192 for 6 in 20 overs
• Abhishek Sharma 61 from 28 balls, three fours, seven sixes
• Tilak Varma 51 not out from 22 balls, three fours, four sixes
• Hasan Nawaz 96 from 51 balls
• Saim Ayub 29 from 22 balls
• Axar Patel 2 for 29, Washington Sundar 2 for 29, Shivam Dube 2 for 33

Hasan Nawaz keeps Pakistan in range

Nawaz was the chase. He finished on 96 from 51 balls, four short of a century. Saim Ayub gave him 29 from 22 in support. Nobody else in the order passed 30.

The rest of the card was slight. Maaz Sadaqat made 23 from 18 balls and Saad Masood 12 from 5, on the scorecard carried by Crex. Sahibzada Farhan, the captain, went for 10 from 11. Usman Khan made 3.

Pakistan were still within reach deep into the innings. They needed 212 and got to 192. One batter supplied half of that.

Wickets shared through the middle overs

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each conceded 29 and each took two wickets. Shivam Dube added 2 for 33. Shreyas Iyer, India's captain, said he had been working through his fifth bowler's overs while Pakistan were going well.

"Well, they were cruising pretty well, and they got that momentum in between. I just wanted to see to it that I get that fifth bowler out of the way as soon as possible, finish it off, and then Bumrah was there, Washy was there," Iyer said in comments carried by CricTracker.

Dube, who bowled three overs for his two wickets, was quoted by The Tribune. "This feeling is hard to put into words because we've won gold for the country. I feel this is a huge achievement for us; winning gold and making the nation proud, it's something that transcends words," he said. His three overs cost 33.

A gold medal settled by play

India also took the men's gold at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. That final against Afghanistan was washed out, and the medal went to India as the higher seed. Saturday was different. They had to win it.

Rain shaped this tournament as well. Four straight washouts decided the men's quarter-finals, and Iyer said his squad lost close to a week of practice to the weather after landing in Japan. "Since the day we arrived in Japan, it was raining cats and dogs, and we couldn't practice for almost a week," he said. India's women had already beaten Sri Lanka by 147 runs in their final on 22 September, so both cricket titles came back from Nisshin.

Tilak put the podium above the cricket. "When our tricolour flies high and you are called up on the podium to receive the gold medal, it's a feeling unlike anything we usually experience when winning," he said. Sri Lanka took the men's bronze earlier on Saturday, beating Bangladesh by 63 runs.