India defend Asian Games cricket gold after 19-run win over Pakistan
India retained the men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games with a 19-run victory over Pakistan in Nagoya. Tilak Varma’s unbeaten half-century and Abhishek Sharma’s rapid 61 helped India reach 211 for six, while Pakistan finished on 192 for six despite Hasan Nawaz’s 96.
India retained the men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games after defeating Pakistan by 19 runs in Nagoya on Sunday, October 3, according to India Today. India made 211 for six on a pitch that frequently stopped and turned. Abhishek Sharma provided the early acceleration, scoring 61 from 28 balls, while Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 51 from 22 balls.
India lost Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson during the powerplay, but Abhishek attacked Pakistan’s spinners. Ishan Kishan made 20 and captain Shreyas Iyer scored 21 before Pakistan’s Arafat Minhas dismissed Kishan. Varma and Shivam Dube then supplied the closing surge.
Dube made 27 from 15 balls and the pair added 62 runs in five overs. India hit 15 sixes in total, despite the surface assisting spin. Pakistan’s chase began poorly against Jasprit Bumrah.
India took three early wickets for 39 runs, with Sahibzada Farhan, Maas Sadaqat and Usman Khan dismissed while attempting attacking shots. Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub rebuilt the innings with an 87-run partnership. Nawaz reached fifty from 28 balls and kept Pakistan in contention.
Dube later dismissed Ayub, who miscontrolled a scoop, and Bumrah helped restrict the scoring when he returned for the 14th over. Pakistan still took the chase into the final over. Nawaz scored 16 from Dube’s 17th over, but Pakistan needed 34 from the last six balls.
Nawaz was dismissed with the final delivery, ending Pakistan’s innings at 192 for six and confirming India’s victory.
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