India Win Asian Games Cricket Gold, Beat Pakistan by 19 Runs

October 3, 2026

Nisshin: India clinched the gold medal in the men’s cricket competition at the 2026 Asian Games after defeating Pakistan by 19 runs in a thrilling final at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday.

India, batting first after winning the toss, posted 211/6 in 20 overs before restricting Pakistan to 192/6 to retain the Asian Games men’s cricket title.

Abhishek, Tilak power India to 211

India made a flying start, with Abhishek Sharma leading the charge. The left-handed opener smashed 61 runs off 28 balls, including seven sixes and three fours, to give India early momentum.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed 15 runs off nine balls before being dismissed, while India lost Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer during the middle overs.

Tilak Varma then produced a powerful finish, scoring an unbeaten 51 off just 22 balls. Shivam Dube added 27 off 15 deliveries as India finished with 211/6, setting Pakistan a target of 212.

Pakistan fight back through Hasan Nawaz

Chasing 212, Pakistan kept themselves in the contest with a strong innings from Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 off 51 balls.

Saim Ayub also contributed 29 runs, but Pakistan could not maintain the required scoring rate against India’s bowling attack. Pakistan eventually finished on 192/6 after 20 overs, falling 19 runs short of India’s total.

India retain Asian Games cricket title

The victory secured India’s second consecutive men’s cricket gold at the Asian Games, following their triumph in Hangzhou in 2023.

India had entered the final after a dominant 124-run victory over Sri Lanka in the semifinal, while Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their semifinal.

With the 19-run victory over Pakistan, India successfully defended its Asian Games men’s cricket title and added another gold medal to its campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.