Asian Games cricket final, India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to win gold medal

NISHIN, Japan: India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games 2026 cricket final on Saturday to claim the gold medal after a high-scoring contest that went down to the final delivery.

Chasing a challenging target of 212, Pakistan finished on 192 runs, with Hassan Nawaz producing a remarkable 96 before being dismissed off the last ball of the innings.

Pakistan’s chase got off to a difficult start as Sahibzada Farhan scored 10 from 11 balls before departing. Maaz Sadaqat added 23, while Usman Khan managed only three runs from six deliveries.

Despite the early setbacks, Hassan Nawaz kept Pakistan in contention with an aggressive innings. He struck five fours and seven sixes and maintained the pressure on the Indian bowling attack until the final delivery. However, Pakistan ultimately fell 19 runs short of the target.

Earlier, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision that paid dividends as India posted 211 for six in their 20 overs.

Abhishek Sharma provided the foundation for India’s imposing total, smashing 61 from just 28 balls. Suryavanshi contributed 15 from nine deliveries before being dismissed, while Ishan Kishan added 21.

Tilak Varma then produced another crucial contribution, reaching his half-century in just 20 balls to accelerate India’s scoring during the latter stages of the innings.

For Pakistan, Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal claimed two wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub took one apiece.

Pakistan entered the final under the leadership of Sahibzada Farhan, with Saad Masood replacing Wasim Junior in the playing XI. India, meanwhile, retained the same team that had reached the gold-medal match.

The final had also attracted considerable attention because of the longstanding cricket rivalry between the two sides. A pre-match concern was the possibility of rain in Nishin, with weather forecasts raising fears that the contest could be interrupted.

The result gave India the Asian Games cricket gold medal, while Pakistan had to settle for silver despite Hassan Nawaz’s outstanding individual performance.

The match also drew attention to the customary post-match sportsmanship between the teams. According to the report, the Indian captain did not shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart, adding another talking point to an already closely watched final.

With India successfully defending their position in the final, the Asian Games cricket gold medal once again went to the Indian side after a dramatic contest against Pakistan.