India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games men’s cricket final in Nisshin to retain their gold medal. Abhishek Sharma’s 61 off 28 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 lifted India to 211 for 6, while Hasan Nawaz’s 96 off 51 left Pakistan with silver.
Nisshin, Japan: A converted baseball field at the Korogi Athletic Park hosted the gold medal match in front of a small but loud crowd. India had reached the final by beating Sri Lanka, and Pakistan by beating Bangladesh. Shreyas Iyer led a full-strength India; Pakistan, captained by Sahibzada Farhan, fielded a second-string side.
The atmosphere stayed frosty throughout. There were no handshakes at the toss or at the end, and the medal ceremony started after a long delay. ICC chairman Jay Shah presented the gold medals to India. Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who took bronze after beating Bangladesh by 63 runs, received theirs from Asian Games officials.
Sooryavanshi Lights the Fuse, Abhishek Takes Over
Iyer won the toss and batted. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit two sixes as India took 24 off the second over, the first over bowled by debutant Saad Masood. Off the first ball of the third over, Sooryavanshi tried to reverse-sweep Saim Ayub and was caught behind for 15 off nine balls. Sanju Samson soon followed for 2.
Abhishek did not slow down. He reached his fifty off 20 balls, and Pakistan’s fielders kept letting him off. He was dropped twice, and survived a run-out chance on 46 when Ahmed Daniyal’s throw missed both the stumps and the wicketkeeper. Iyer was also put down off Abrar Ahmed in the fifth over. Abhishek was finally stumped off Arafat Minhas in the eighth over for 61 off 28, with seven sixes and three fours. India were 93 for 3.
Pakistan Pull India Back
For a while, Pakistan’s bowlers got on top. Minhas bowled Ishan Kishan for 20, and Abrar removed Iyer for 21 off 24 in the next over. India had slipped to 133 for 5 in the 15th over. Minhas finished with 2 for 25 from three overs, and Daniyal took 2 for 43.
Tilak’s Late Assault
Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube turned the innings around, putting on 62 in five overs for the sixth wicket. Tilak hit four sixes and reached his fifty off 21 balls. Dube made 27 off 15 before falling in the final over. Tilak finished unbeaten on 51 off 22, and India reached 211 for 6. Pakistan’s highest T20I total batting second had been 208.
Nawaz’s Lone Fight
Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat put on 33 for the first wicket. Then Axar Patel and Washington Sundar took three wickets for six runs between them, and Pakistan were 39 for 3. They were still only 76 for 3 at the halfway mark.
Hasan Nawaz attacked from there. He reached his fifty off 28 balls with five sixes and added 87 with Ayub. Dube broke the partnership in the 15th over when Ayub (29) picked out Washington, leaving Pakistan 126 for 4.
Nawaz kept going, but Washington had Abdul Samad caught at long-on, and Pakistan needed 44 off the last two overs. Jasprit Bumrah gave away only 11 in the 19th, leaving Dube 33 to defend in the last over. Nawaz hit a six off the fourth ball. Off the last, he top-edged a slower bouncer to Samson and fell four short of a hundred. His 96 came off 51 balls, with seven sixes and five fours.
Axar and Washington each took 2 for 29, and Dube took 2 for 33. The match aggregate of 403 was the highest in a T20I between the two sides.
Back-to-Back Gold
The win gave India’s men a second straight Asian Games gold after Hangzhou. It also completed a cricket double, because India’s women had retained their title at the same venue on September 22. It was India’s seventh consecutive T20I win over Pakistan. For Iyer, it capped a turnaround after a winless T20I run as captain earlier this season.
Iyer said he was ecstatic. He praised his side for not complaining after heavy rain wiped out almost a week of practice when they arrived in Japan, and described the final as a “collective effort and overall I would say comprehensive win.”
Score: India 211/6 (20 overs; Abhishek Sharma 61 off 28, Tilak Varma 51* off 22, Shivam Dube 27; Arafat Minhas 2-25, Ahmed Daniyal 2-43) beat Pakistan 192/6 (20 overs; Hasan Nawaz 96 off 51, Saim Ayub 29; Axar Patel 2-29, Washington Sundar 2-29, Shivam Dube 2-33) by 19 runs
Top Performer: Abhishek Sharma (India) — 61 off 28 balls
