Hasan Nawaz needed 33 off the last over and got 13. He fell to the final ball, caught behind off a slower bouncer from Shivam Dube, and India had the Asian Games men’s T20 gold by 19 runs. The final was played in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
India made 211-6. Pakistan, chasing 212, finished on 192-6. Cricinfo noted that the combined 403 runs was the highest match aggregate in a T20 international between the two sides.
Abhishek and Tilak set the target
India chose to bat and attacked early. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma put on 28 before Saim Ayub removed Sooryavanshi for 15 off nine balls in the third over. Ahmed Daniyal then removed Sanju Samson for two.
Abhishek kept swinging. He made 61 off 28 balls with three fours and seven sixes, until Arafat Minhas ended it. Ishan Kishan added 20 off 18 and captain Shreyas Iyer 21 off 24 before both fell. The late push came from Dube, who hit 27 off 15, and Tilak Varma, unbeaten on 51 from 22 balls with three fours and four sixes. Minhas and Daniyal each took two wickets for Pakistan.
Nawaz keeps Pakistan alive
The chase began badly. Washington Sundar dismissed Sahibzada Farhan for 10, and Axar Patel took out Usman Khan and then Maaz Sadaqat, who had 23. Pakistan stood at 39-3 after 6.1 overs.
Nawaz and Saim Ayub then added 87 together, which dragged Pakistan back into the match. Saim made 29 off 22 before Dube broke the stand. Nawaz went on, bringing up his third T20 international half-century. Sundar removed Abdul Samad for nine, leaving Pakistan 162-5 in the 18th over.
It was too late. Nawaz hit 96 from 51 balls, five fours and seven sixes, but the asking rate had grown out of reach. Patel and Sundar each took two wickets for 29 runs in four overs, and Dube finished with two as well.
Gold again
India defended the title it won at Hangzhou in 2023, and Cricinfo said the result gave India its seventh straight T20 international win over Pakistan. India’s women had won their own cricket gold earlier at the Games. Pakistan took silver.
The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the margin and Nawaz’s innings in its match report, according to PNP.
Sources
- India Beat Pakistan by 19 Runs to Win Asian Games Cricket Gold
- India beat Pakistan, India won by 19 runs (Cricinfo)
