India defended their Asian Games men's cricket gold on Saturday, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-scoring T20 final at Nisshin — the first time the two countries had met in men's cricket at the Games.
Opting to bat, India piled up 211 for 6 in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma provided the early fireworks with 61 off 28 balls, including seven sixes, before Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 off 22 and Shivam Dube's 27 off 15 gave the innings a blistering finish.
The chase
Pakistan's pursuit of 212 wobbled early under pressure from Jasprit Bumrah's opening burst and tight spin from Axar Patel, managing only 39 runs for two wickets in the powerplay. Saim Ayub (29 off 22) and Hasan Nawaz briefly revived hopes with a defiant partnership, and Nawaz went on to a stunning 96 off 50 balls — but timely breakthroughs from Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube kept India ahead. Pakistan finished well short, and India completed back-to-back golds in the discipline.
Most live blogs, including those of Outlook, The Economic Times and NDTV, reported the winning margin as 19 runs. (One Times Now live-blog update carried 21; scorecards and the other outlets agreed on 19.)
19th gold
The triumph gave India their 19th gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with players unfurling the tricolour and taking a lap of honour around the ground. India had reached the final with a 124-run demolition of Sri Lanka, while Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a rain-shortened semi-final.
The day brought more good news for India: Kumkum Mohod won the women's individual recurve archery gold, and wrestlers Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal stormed into their finals.
Sources: IND Vs PAK Highlights, Asian Games 2026 Final | IND vs PAK Asian Games Final Live Score
Opting to bat, India piled up 211 for 6 in their 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma provided the early fireworks with 61 off 28 balls, including seven sixes, before Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 off 22 and Shivam Dube's 27 off 15 gave the innings a blistering finish.
The chase
Pakistan's pursuit of 212 wobbled early under pressure from Jasprit Bumrah's opening burst and tight spin from Axar Patel, managing only 39 runs for two wickets in the powerplay. Saim Ayub (29 off 22) and Hasan Nawaz briefly revived hopes with a defiant partnership, and Nawaz went on to a stunning 96 off 50 balls — but timely breakthroughs from Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube kept India ahead. Pakistan finished well short, and India completed back-to-back golds in the discipline.
Most live blogs, including those of Outlook, The Economic Times and NDTV, reported the winning margin as 19 runs. (One Times Now live-blog update carried 21; scorecards and the other outlets agreed on 19.)
19th gold
The triumph gave India their 19th gold of the Aichi-Nagoya Games, with players unfurling the tricolour and taking a lap of honour around the ground. India had reached the final with a 124-run demolition of Sri Lanka, while Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a rain-shortened semi-final.
The day brought more good news for India: Kumkum Mohod won the women's individual recurve archery gold, and wrestlers Aman Sehrawat and Antim Panghal stormed into their finals.
Sources: IND Vs PAK Highlights, Asian Games 2026 Final | IND vs PAK Asian Games Final Live Score
