Asian Games, men's cricket: India beat Pakistan to retain gold
What's the story
Team India comprehensively defeated Pakistan in the men's cricket gold-medal clash at the 2026 Asian Games in Nisshin, Japan. The Indian team, led by captain Shreyas Iyer, opted to bat first and scored a total of 211 runs. Abhishek Sharma was the star performer for India with an explosive knock of 61, while Tilak Varma also scored a fifty. Despite Hasan Nawaz's brilliant 96, Pakistan (192/6) fell short in the run chase.
Match highlights
Abhishek, Tilak power India to big total
Winning the toss on a tricky pitch, Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first.
The decision paid off as India posted a mammoth total of 211 runs for six in their allotted 20 overs.
Abhishek Sharma's explosive half-century and Tilak Varma's late blitz propelled the team to a challenging score.
The former scored 61 off just 28 balls while Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off just 22 deliveries.
Shivam Dube also chipped in with a quickfire 27 runs off 15 balls.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer (21) and Ishan Kishan (20) were the other key contributors.
Bowling performance
How did Pakistan's bowlers fare?
Pakistan's bowlers, Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal, were the pick of the bowlers with two wickets each.
The latter, however, went for 43 runs in three overs, while Minhas gave away 25 runs in the same number of overs.
Saim Ayub (1/47) and Abrar Ahmed (1/29) also chipped in with a wicket apiece, having bowled four overs each.
Chase
India's bowlers thwart Pakistan's chase
Pakistan's chase started slowly as Indian bowlers reduced them to 39/3.
An 87-run stand between Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub (29) then brought them back in the contest.
While Hasan continued to bat well from one end, he did not get much support.
With 50 runs needed from the last 15 balls, India's disciplined bowling attack ensured they defended their total successfully.
Abhishek
Abhishek smashes 20-ball fifty
Abhishek scored 61 off 28 balls with the help of seven sixes and three fours.
With his second maximum, Abhishek brought up the milestone of 400 T20 sixes, as per Cricinfo (now 405).
The left-hander now has 6,292 runs at an average of 32.94.
With a staggering strike rate of 178.04, his tally includes 10 tons and 39 fifties.
Information
Here are his T20I numbers
As many as 134 T20 sixes have been hit by Abhishek's bat for India in T20Is. The batter has scored 1,926 runs at an average of 32.64. He already has three tons and 13 half-centuries. He now has two fifties across five outings against Pakistan.
Kishan
Kishan becomes 2nd Indian with this T20I feat
Kishan became the second Indian after Suryakumar Yadav to hammer 1,000 runs in a calendar year in T20 International cricket.
The southpaw, who reached the milestone with his 15th run, scored an 18-ball 20 (3 fours).
He has raced to 1,005 runs in 29 matches at an average of 38.65 and a strike rate of 169.76.
The left-hander overall owns 1,801 T20I runs at an average of 31.05.
Tilak
Tilak's 10th T20I fifty
Tilak was unbeaten on a blistering 51 off just 22 balls, hitting three fours and four sixes.
The left-handed batter has now raced to 1,719 runs across 65 T20Is at a strike rate of 145.06.
Tilak's average is also an impressive 44.07. Tilak's tally now includes 12 scores of 50 or more (2 tons).
The southpaw scored his second fifty across five T20Is against Pakistan (206 runs at 103).
Bowlers
Two wickets each for Axar, Sundar
Spin-bowling all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar recorded identical figures of 2/29 in their four overs.
The former has raced to 109 T20I scalps at an economy of 7.44. Sundar owns 56 wickets at a slightly better economy (7.09).
Shivam Dube also took two wickets while giving away 33 runs from three overs.
The pace-bowling all-rounder now boasts 40 T20I scalps (ER: 9.86).
Hasan
Hasan goes past Kohli
Hasan's 96 off just 51 balls was laced with five fours and seven sixes.
These are the joint-most maximums hit by a Pakistani batter in a T20I innings.
Hasan also recorded the highest individual score in T20Is between India and Pakistan.
The dasher went past Virat Kohli's iconic 82* in the 2022 T20 World Cup game in Melbourne.
Hasan also recorded the second-highest individual score for Pakistan while batting at four or lower.
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2,500 runs in T20 cricket for Hasan
Hasan, who missed out on his second T20I ton, now has three fifties across 27 games. This includes 580 runs at an average of 25.21 and a strike rate of 157.18. His overall T20 tally now reads 2,567 runs at 29.17 from 107 games (100s: 2, 50s: 13, SR: 138.6).
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India retain their gold
This victory comes as India's second consecutive gold medal in men's cricket at the Asian Games, having also clinched the title in Hangzhou in 2023. The win also marked India's seventh consecutive T20I victory over Pakistan since 2021 and its 15th in 18 T20Is against them overall.