India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to retain Asian Games men's cricket gold
Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma powered India to 211/6 in the final at Nisshin, and Shivam Dube defended the last ball as Hasan Nawaz fell for 96.
India won the men's cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games by beating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final on 3 October at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. It retains the title India won at Hangzhou in 2023. Sources spell the venue name slightly differently ("Korogi" and "Karogi").
The match
Captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat. India made 211/6, their highest total of the tournament, led by Abhishek Sharma's 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 off 22.
Pakistan finished on 192/6 in their 20 overs. Hasan Nawaz kept them in the contest with 96 off 51 balls, and the game went to the final ball. Shivam Dube dismissed Nawaz with a slower bouncer to seal the result. Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Dube took two wickets each, and Sundar also took a notable catch running in from square leg to remove Saim Ayub.
- India: 211/6 (Abhishek Sharma 61, Tilak Varma 51 not out)
- Pakistan: 192/6 (Hasan Nawaz 96)
- Result: India won by 19 runs
Route to the final
India beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs in the second semi-final on 1 October. Cricinfo noted that the final pitted a full-strength India against a second-string Pakistan. The match aggregate of 403 runs was the highest in any India-Pakistan T20I, according to Cricinfo.
The 2023 Hangzhou final was different: rain stopped play against Afghanistan and India took gold because of its higher ranking.
In context: India's women also won gold in Nisshin, so the two titles repeat the men's and women's double that India achieved at Hangzhou 2023.
Sources: Cricinfo, ESPN, Olympics.com, Outlook India.
18+ only. This article is for information, not advice to gamble or to bet. Responsible gambling.
Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will correct it.
