October 4, Kathmandu – India clinched the gold medal in the men’s cricket tournament at the 20th Asian Games. In the final match held on Saturday, India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs, securing consecutive gold medals in this event. Pakistan, chasing a target of 212 runs set by India, managed only 192 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Hasan Nawaz was the top scorer for Pakistan with 96 runs but fell on the final ball, which was insufficient for victory. Sam Ayub contributed 29 runs and Maz Sadakat scored 23. India’s dedicated bowlers Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Shivam Dube each took 2 wickets.
Winning the toss and electing to bat first, India posted a competitive total of 211 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma led the innings with 61 runs while Tilak Verma remained unbeaten with 51 runs. Shivam Dube added 27 runs, captain Shreyas Iyer scored 21, and Ishan Kishan contributed 20. For Pakistan, Ahmad Daniyal and Arafat Minhas claimed 2 wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed and Sam Ayub took one wicket apiece. Earlier that day, in the bronze medal match, Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh to secure the third-place finish.
