Asian Games cricket gold stayed with India on Saturday as the defending champions beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s final in Nagoya, Japan. India posted 211-6 and Pakistan finished on 192-6, according to Al Jazeera.
Abhishek and Tilak power India’s total
Abhishek Sharma hit 61 off 28 balls with seven sixes, and Tilak Varma finished 51 not out off 22 balls. Shivam Dube added 27 off 15 balls. India reached 81-2 at the end of the powerplay.
Nawaz’s 96 not enough for Pakistan
Pakistan fell to 39-3 early in its chase. Hasan Nawaz kept the team in the match with 96 off 51 balls, including seven sixes, but he was out on the final ball. Saim Ayub added 29.
Spinners and Dube seal the Asian Games cricket gold
Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each finished with 2-29, and Dube took 2-33. Arafat Minhas (2-25) and Ahmed Daniyal (2-43) were Pakistan’s most successful bowlers.
What the Asian Games cricket title means for India
India retained the Asian Games cricket title it won in 2023 in Hangzhou, China. Sri Lanka took bronze by beating Bangladesh by 63 runs in the third-place game. The captains skipped the customary pre-match handshakes amid political tensions between the countries.
Beyond the Games, India is also the reigning T20 World Cup champion, having won the 2024 and 2026 titles, and Shubman Gill’s double century showed the depth of its batting earlier this season. Pakistan has been under scrutiny, as covered in our reports on Babar Azam being dropped and fines for players. T20 will be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and more of our cricket coverage is available.
