IND vs PAK, Asian Games 2026 cricket: Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma unleash as India beat Pakistan in final to win title
Opener Abhishek scored a quickfire 61 to set the tone and Tilak closed with a breezy fifty as the Indian cricket team put up 211 on the board. Pakistan managed 192/6.
03 October, 2026 – Abhishek Sharma’s opening act and Tilak Varma’s closing flourish helped India beat rivals Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 cricket final at the Karogi Athletic Park, Nisshin, on Saturday to successfully defend their title.
The victory also saw India win both Asian Games 2026 cricket titles – men and women – to match the feat from Hangzhou 2023. The Indian women had defeated Sri Lanka in their gold medal match earlier.
India, the defending Asian Games cricket champions, put up 211/6 on the board riding on Abhishek Sharma’s devastating 61 off 28 and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 not out off 22 to finish the innings off.
Hasan Nawaz’s fighting 96 kept Pakistan alive in the game till the final over but India eventually won the match by 19 runs.
The win also extended the Men in Blue’s head-to-head lead in the India vs Pakistan T20 fixture to 15-3.
India T20 captain Shreyas Iyer called it right at the toss and elected to bat.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got India up and running with consecutive sixes off Saad Masood in the second over but threw his wicket away in the very next over, trying a slog reverse sweep off Saim Ayub only to nick it to the wicketkeeper.
Abhishek Sharma, though, carried the momentum forward as India’s fifty came up in just 20 balls. Pakistan found some respite when Sanju Samson was dismissed for just two, attempting to clear Ahmed Daniyal for six.
However, Pakistan’s fielders handed India two reprieves in the fifth over, with both Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer dropped off Abrar Ahmed.
Daniyal also missed an easy run out chance on Sharma off his own bowling, allowing the opener to reach his 13th T20I fifty in 19 balls as the Indian cricket team piled up 81/2 in the powerplay.
Abhishek Sharma continued to play his shots and ride his luck until it finally ran out and he was stumped off Arafat Minhas after scoring 61 off 28.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who scored a superb 80 against Sri Lanka in the semis, looked to consolidate the innings but the Pakistani spinners managed to dry up the runs.
The pressure to get the scoring rate back up told on both batters as Ishan Kishan (20 off 18) and Shreyas Iyer (21 off 24) both departed in successive overs, leaving the Indian cricket team at 133/5.
The period of play also saw the Pakistani bowlers deny a single boundary to Indian batters for almost six overs. The respite, though, was just temporary.
Tilak Varma unleashed an extraordinary final assault, scoring an unbeaten 51 off 22, and was well-supported by Shivam Dube (27 off 15) to take India past 200.
Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal both picked up two wickets each
Pakistan made a measured start, but lost three wickets within a span of four overs and six runs to be reduced to 39/3.
Washington Sundar drew first blood, removing Pakistan skipper Sahibzada Farhan in the fourth over before Axar Patel struck in successive overs to get rid of Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat.
Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub counterattacked. Nawaz led the way, completing his fifty in 28 balls.
The partnership was worth 89 runs before Shivam Dube finally broke the stand, forcing Ayub to loft one straight to Washington Sundar at the deep.
Nawaz, though, continued to find boundaries and kept Pakistan hopes alive.
Washington Sundar came in to bowl the 18th over and got rid of Abdul Samad to strengthen India’s position in the contest.
With 44 needed from the final two overs, Pakistan had no choice but to throw the kitchen sink at it. Bumrah conceded just 10 off the 19th, leaving Dube with 32 to defend off the final over.
Dube conceded just 13 and dismissed Nawaz for 96 off the final ball to seal the victory.
IND vs PAK, Asian Games 2026 cricket final, brief scores: India 211/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 61, Tilak Varma 51 not out; Arafat Minhas 2/25, Ahmed Daniyal 2/43) beat Pakistan 192/6 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 96; Axar Patel 2/29, Washington Sundar 2/29, Shivam Dube 2/33) by 19 runs.
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