India Clinches Asian Games Cricket Double
India defeats Pakistan by 19 runs in the men's T20 final as Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma power the team to gold at the 2026 Asian Games.
India won the men's T20 cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games on October 3, defeating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The victory completed India's gold-medal double in cricket after the women's team defeated Sri Lanka in the final on September 22.
Batting first after captain Shreyas Iyer elected to bat, India scored 211 for six in 20 overs, the highest total of the tournament. Opener Abhishek Sharma led the innings with 61 runs off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 from just 22 deliveries.
Abhishek reached his half-century in 20 balls and struck seven sixes during his innings. After early wickets and a middle-order slowdown, Tilak accelerated towards the end, reaching his half-century in 21 balls and helping India cross the 200-run mark.
Pakistan needed 212 runs to win but finished on 192 for six. Hasan Nawaz kept the chase alive with an attacking 96 off 51 balls, including seven sixes and five fours, but received limited support as India's bowlers restricted the scoring during the closing overs.
India's bowling attack applied pressure through the innings. Jasprit Bumrah controlled the scoring during a crucial phase, while Axar Patel took important wickets. Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube also claimed two wickets each, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board's match report.
Sri Lanka secured the bronze medal in the men's competition after beating Bangladesh by 63 runs. India's men's victory added to the women's gold medal won earlier in the tournament, giving the country both cricket titles at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.