India Claim Second Consecutive Men’s Cricket Gold
The much-anticipated India-Pakistan final at the 2026 Asian Games has ended with India winning the men’s cricket gold medal by 19 runs. India won the toss at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, and elected to bat first, setting up a high-pressure contest between the two cricketing rivals.
India made an explosive start with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge at the top of the order. The left-handed opener scored 61 runs, striking seven sixes and three fours as India quickly established momentum. Captain Shreyas Iyer contributed 21, while Ishan Kishan added 20 during the middle overs.
Tilak Varma then produced an outstanding finish for India. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 51 from only 22 deliveries, helping India reach 211/6 from their allotted 20 overs. His late acceleration proved particularly important as India entered the second innings with a sizeable total to defend.
Pakistan’s chase initially struggled as India picked up wickets at regular intervals. However, Hasan Nawaz produced a brilliant individual performance and kept Pakistan in the contest throughout the innings. He scored 96 from 51 balls, but the lack of consistent support at the other end made the chase increasingly difficult.
Pakistan eventually finished on 192/7, falling 19 runs short of India’s total. Despite the defeat, Hasan Nawaz’s innings provided one of the standout individual performances of the final and gave Pakistan a genuine opportunity of challenging India’s total deep into the chase.
The result gives India their second consecutive Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal. Pakistan finish with the silver medal, while Sri Lanka secured bronze after defeating Bangladesh by 63 runs in the third-place playoff earlier on the same day.
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