India retained the gold medal in men's cricket at the Asian Games after the team, led by Shreyas Iyer, defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the T20 final, which took place at Korogi Park in Nissine on Saturday.
Choosing to bat first, India scored 211 runs while losing six wickets. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma played key roles in the attack, with Shivam Dube providing a crucial late contribution.
Despite a brilliant performance from Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 runs off 51 balls, Pakistan could only manage 192 runs in their 20 overs. This victory completed India's 'double gold' in cricket at the Asian Games, as the women's team, Harmanpreet Kaur, had previously held onto the gold by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
Abhishek Sharma set the tone
India started the match very confidently, adding 28 runs in just the first two overs after winning the toss and opting to bat. Pakistan managed to respond when Syam Ayub forced Vaibhav Suryavanshi out for 15 runs in nine balls.
However, Abhishek Sharma continued the onslaught, pushing India past 50 runs in just 3.2 overs. Ahmed Daniyal then dismissed Sanju Samson for two runs, but Abhishek maintained his aggressive play. He reached the half-century mark in only 20 balls before Arafat Minhaz concluded his innings, scoring 61 runs off 28 balls. The powerplay ended with a score of 81 runs for the loss of two wickets.
Iyer and Kishan stabilized India
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan tried to regain momentum after Abhishek's departure. Iyer scored 21 runs off 24 balls, and Kishan contributed 20 runs off 18 balls. However, Pakistan quickly got rid of both batsmen, leaving India at 133 runs for five wickets, giving the defending champions a short advantage.
Tilak and Dube provided the late surge
Following this, Shivam Dube made an important contribution, scoring 27 runs off 15 balls. He joined Tilak Varma in a sixth-wicket partnership that yielded 62 runs and brought momentum back to India. Tilak finished the game without being dismissed, scoring 51 runs off just 22 balls. He reached the half-century mark in 21 balls and hit several boundaries in the final overs, as India totaled 211 runs for the loss of six wickets.
Pakistan started strongly before India responded
Pakistan started the chase positively, scoring 33 runs for the first wicket. Washington Sundar helped India gain momentum by dismissing Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farghan for 10 runs off 11 balls. Then Axar Patel struck twice consecutively, removing Usman Khan for three runs and Maz Zadakat for 23 runs. Pakistan was reduced to 39 runs for three wickets.
Hasan Nawaz kept Pakistan in the game
Syam Ayub and Hasan Nawaz began Pakistan's recovery with an aggressive fourth-wicket partnership. Hasan reached the half-century mark in 28 balls, as Pakistan started threatening India's total score. Ultimately, Shivam Dube broke the partnership at 87 runs, dismissing Syam Ayub for 29 runs off 22 balls. After this, Washington Sundar removed Abdul Samad for nine runs, putting Pakistan in a very difficult situation.
India remained composed to secure gold
Hasan Nawaz continued fighting until the end, scoring 96 runs off 51 balls, but Pakistan could not find the necessary runs in the final overs. Saad Masood remained not out, scoring 12 runs off five balls, but Pakistan finished with a score of 192 runs for six wickets after 20 overs, trailing by 19 runs. This victory secured India's second consecutive gold in men's cricket at the Asian Games and added another 'double gold' to the country's sporting disciplines. It also marked India's 19th gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games.