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India’s cricket team celebrates its Asian Games 2026 gold medal win (Img: X)
Nisshin: India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in a thrilling men's cricket final at the 2026 Asian Games on Saturday to win the gold medal and successfully defend their title.
Batting first after winning the toss, India posted a strong 211 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. Pakistan, in reply, managed 192 for 6 in 20 overs as India held their nerve in the closing stages to secure another gold medal.
India's innings was led by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 61 runs from just 28 balls to give the team a flying start.
Tilak Varma then produced a crucial finishing effort, remaining unbeaten on 51 from 22 deliveries. Shivam Dube also made an important contribution, scoring 27 from 15 balls as India crossed the 200-run mark.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed 15 runs from nine balls, while India's middle and lower order ensured the team finished with a challenging total of 211 for 6.
Chasing 212 for gold, Pakistan kept the contest alive for much of their innings. Hasan Nawaz played an aggressive knock and brought up a half-century to keep Pakistan within touching distance of India's total.
Pakistan's chase, however, lost momentum in the decisive stages. India's bowlers managed to control the scoring rate and pick up crucial wickets as the target became increasingly difficult to chase.
Pakistan eventually finished on 192 for 6, falling 19 runs short of India's total.
The victory means India have successfully retained the men's cricket gold medal at the Asian Games. India had won gold at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and have now repeated that achievement in the 2026 edition.
The final also marked the first men's cricket meeting between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games, adding another significant chapter to the rivalry.
India had entered the final after a dominant semifinal against Sri Lanka, while Pakistan had secured their place in the gold-medal match after defeating Bangladesh.
With a 19-run victory over Pakistan, India finished the tournament at the top of the podium and added another major achievement to their 2026 Asian Games campaign.
