India beats Pakistan by 19 runs to win Asian Games T20 gold

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games Twenty20 final at Nisshin, Japan, on 3 October 2026, posting 211-6 before restricting Pakistan to 192-6. Captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat at Korogi Sports Park, and India's total was the highest of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The win gave India a second straight men's cricket gold and completed a double after the women's team's victory.jagranjosh.com+1

The result matters because India defended the gold they won at the previous Asian Games and did so against their oldest rivals in a tournament they never lost a match in. India's 211-6 was the highest score of the Games, well above their own 169-7 against Sri Lanka in the semi-final. Pakistan's 192-6 fell 19 runs short despite a late surge from Hasan Nawaz.economictimes.indiatimes.com+1

India's total set a Games record

Abhishek Sharma, ranked second in the world among Twenty20 batters, reached his fifty in 20 balls and finished with 61 off 28, including seven sixes and three fours. He survived a run-out chance and twice hit shots that landed short of Saim Ayub before Arafat Minhas had him stumped in the eighth over. India reached 114-3 at the halfway mark.

Tilak Varma then took India past 200, reaching his fifty in 21 balls and finishing unbeaten on 51 off 22 with three fours and four sixes. Shivam Dube contributed 27 off 15. Varma and Dube put on 62 in five overs for the sixth wicket. Arafat Minhas was Pakistan's most economical bowler, taking 2 wickets for 25 runs in three overs.

Pakistan needed a fast start chasing 212 but reached only 76-3 at the halfway stage. Sahibzada Farhan fell for 10, and Jasprit Bumrah kept the scoring tight while Axar Patel removed Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat, who made 23. Saim Ayub contributed 29 off 22, but no other batter besides Nawaz reached 30.

How the chase fell short

Hasan Nawaz's 96 off 51 balls, with five fours and seven sixes, kept Pakistan in the hunt until he fell to the last ball of the match. He reached his fifty in 28 balls and was unbeaten on 80 off 41 after 18 overs, needing 44 runs from 12 balls at that point. Pakistan closed on 192-6, 19 short.

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each took 2 wickets for 29 runs in four overs, and Shivam Dube claimed 2 for 33 in three. Washington dismissed Abdul Samad for 9 off 9 at 17.3 overs, leaving Pakistan needing 52 runs from 54 balls. Dube struck with his first ball to remove Saim Ayub at 14.1 overs, ending a 50-run stand.

Pakistan opened with spin from both ends, and Saad Masood was pulled from the attack after his first over went for 24. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who hit Masood for two sixes, was caught behind off Saim Ayub attempting a reverse sweep, and Ayub celebrated with a rocking-baby gesture. Sanju Samson followed soon after, and Ishan Kishan fell for 20.

How India closed out the chase

India's women had already won gold by beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in their final on 22 September, so the men's victory completed a cricket double for India at the Games. Sri Lanka took the men's bronze by beating Bangladesh by 63 runs earlier on the same day. India remained undefeated across the tournament.

India will return home to play West Indies in a five-match Twenty20 international series after collecting the gold. Pakistan finished with the silver medal after falling 19 runs short in the final at Korogi Sports Park. The medal ceremony followed a lap of honour by the Indian players around the ground.