Nisshin : Led by captain Shreyas Iyer, India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in a thrilling T20 final at the Asian Games in Japan to win the gold medal.
Pakistan had to settle for the silver medal, while Sri Lanka, who defeated Bangladesh by 63 runs in the morning, were awarded the bronze medal.
Chasing a massive target of 212 against India, Pakistan managed 192 for six in their 20 overs.
At one stage, Pakistan succumbed to the pressure and lost three wickets for just 39 runs. ‘Bapu’ Axar Patel claimed two of those three wickets. He finished with impressive figures of two wickets for just 29 runs from his four overs.
Middle-order batter Hasan Nawaz (96 runs, 51 balls, five sixes, seven fours) emerged as Pakistan’s main batting hero. However, he could not take his team across the finish line.
Washington Sundar claimed two wickets, while Shivam Dube also took two. Captain Sahibzada Farhan (10), opener Maaz Sadaqat (23) and wicketkeeper Usman Khan (3) were dismissed early.
Pakistan’s fourth batter Hasan Nawaz could also have been dismissed much earlier. However, a misunderstanding between Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ravi Bishnoi resulted in Vaibhav dropping Hasan’s catch when he was on just four runs. Vaibhav also suffered an injury to his hand in the incident. At the end of the 10th over, Pakistan were 76 for three.
Earlier, India’s batters tore into the Pakistan bowling attack and set a huge target of 212 runs.
After opting to bat first, India scored 211 for six in their 20 overs.
Openers Abhishek Sharma (61 runs, 28 balls, seven sixes, three fours) and Tilak Varma (51 not out, 22 balls, four sixes, three fours) were the two major heroes of India’s innings. Shivam Dube (27 runs, 15 balls, two sixes, two fours) initially struggled for fluency but accelerated later.
Captain Shreyas Iyer contributed 21 runs off 24 balls, including two fours, while Ishan Kishan scored 20 off 18 balls with three fours.
Earlier, India had made a blistering start against Pakistan. After opting to bat first in this high-voltage clash, Vaibhav Suryavanshi (15 runs, nine balls, two sixes) and Abhishek Sharma launched a series of attacking strokes to give India an exciting start.
Off-spinner Saim Ayub conceded only four runs in the first over. However, Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan made the mistake of handing the second over to 21-year-old new leg-spinner Saad Masood.
Masood began with a dot ball, but Vaibhav, the leading six-hitting specialist of IPL 2026, smashed back-to-back sixes off the second and third deliveries to dent Pakistan’s confidence. Masood completely lost his direction during the over. One delivery landed completely outside the pitch, and the umpire called it a no-ball rather than a wide. Abhishek then added 10 runs from the same over with a six and a four.
However, Vaibhav was dismissed off the very first ball of Saim Ayub’s next over while attempting a reverse sweep.
Saim and the rest of the Pakistani players celebrated as if they had hit the jackpot. But Abhishek immediately hit back, scoring 14 runs from the final three balls of the over.
After Vaibhav was dismissed in the third over, Sanju Samson was out for two in the fourth over. Abhishek then fell in the eighth over while attempting a big shot against left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas. The ball stayed low, and Abhishek picked out wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
Read Also : Indian Batters Tear Into Pakistan, Set Mammoth 212-Run Target
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