The Indian men’s cricket team defeated rivals Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games 2026 T20 final. The match took place on 3 October 2026, at the Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Japan. Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first against Sahibzada Farhan’s Pakistan side.
India scored 211-6 in their 20 overs after Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma hit half-centuries. In response, Pakistan scored 192-6 in 20 overs despite an innings of 96 runs from Hasan Nawaz. This victory secured another Asian Games gold medal for India following their title win at Hangzhou 2023. The win also completed a cricket double for India at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 after the Indian women’s team won gold earlier in the tournament.
India Post 211-6 Following Powerplay Onslaught
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi launched the Indian innings by hitting multiple sixes off Saad Masood in the second over, which cost 24 runs. However, Sooryavanshi scored 15 runs before losing his wickets to Saim Ayub. Abhishek Sharma reached his half-century in 20 balls. Sharma hit seven sixes in his 61 runs off 28 balls and guided India to 81-2 at the end of the six-over powerplay. Arafat Minhas ended Sharma’s innings in the eighth over.
Minhas then bowled Ishan Kishan for 20 runs, and Pakistan fielders caught Shreyas Iyer at mid-off for 21 runs. These quick wickets reduced India to 133-5 in the 15th over. Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube then rebuilt the sixth-wicket partnership. The pair added 62 runs in five overs. Varma scored an unbeaten 51 runs off 22 balls with three fours and four sixes. Dube contributed 27 runs with two sixes, carrying India past the 200-run mark.
SUGGESTED READ: Shree Charani Retains No. 1 T20I Bowler Ranking, Sets All-Time Rating Points Record
Hasan Nawaz Leads Pakistan in Record Chase
Pakistan required a record chase of 212 runs. Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat scored a 33-run partnership in 3.4 overs. Axar Patel dismissed Farhan for 10 runs. Patel then removed Usman Khan and later caught Sadaqat on the boundary for 23 runs, reducing Pakistan to 52-3 in eight overs.
Hasan Nawaz reached his half-century in 28 balls with five sixes. Nawaz partnered with Saim Ayub to add 87 runs for the fourth wicket. However, Ayub lost his wicket to Dube, leaving Pakistan at 126-4 in the 15th over. Sundar then dismissed Abdul Samad with Pakistan needing 52 runs off the final three overs. Jasprit Bumrah conceded 11 runs in the 19th over to leave Pakistan needing 33 runs from the last six balls. Dube bowled the final over, where Nawaz fell off the last ball while attempting a six. Nawaz scored 96 runs off 51 balls, hitting seven sixes and five fours. Saad Masood remained unbeaten on 12 runs off five balls as Pakistan finished on 192-6.
ALSO READ: Vaishnavi Sharma, Niki Prasad Power India A Women to 281-Run Win Over Australia A
No Handshakes and Delayed Victory Ceremony
Political tensions between India and Pakistan directly affected match protocols in Japan. Captains Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan did not engage in traditional handshakes before or after the match. This marked the fifth consecutive men’s T20 match between India and Pakistan without handshakes.
Organisers also delayed the post-match victory ceremony at Korogi Athletic Park. International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah stepped onto the field and presented gold medals to the Indian squad. Asian Games officials presented silver medals to Pakistan and bronze medals to Sri Lanka. Asian Cricket Council President Mohsin Naqvi missed the final due to prior commitments.
For more Sports news, updates, and match highlights, follow JeetWin Sports
