India beat Pakistan for Asian Games gold after Sri Lanka semifinal rout

India won the Asian Games men’s Twenty20 cricket gold medal on Oct 3, defeating Pakistan by 19 runs at Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin, Japan. India scored 211-6 from its 20 overs before restricting Pakistan in the tournament final.¹²³

India build a winning total

After choosing to bat, India reached 211-6. Abhishek Sharma scored 61, while Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 51. The BBC reported that Sharma’s innings came from 28 balls and included seven sixes, while Varma faced 22 deliveries and struck three fours and four sixes. India had reached 81-2 by the end of the powerplay.¹²³

Pakistan’s Sufyan Moqim took three wickets for 26 runs, according to Al Jazeera. Pakistan then slipped to 39-3 in its reply before Hasan Nawaz led the recovery. Nawaz scored 96 from 51 balls, with the BBC and Al Jazeera reporting that his innings included seven sixes. He was dismissed from the final ball of the match.¹²³

Pakistan scored 192-6 in reply, according to the BBC and Al Jazeera. The 19-run margin is reported consistently by all three sources. The BBC said Axar Patel and Washington Sundar took 2-29 each, while Shivam Dube claimed 2-33.¹²³

A one-sided semifinal

India’s place in the final followed a 124-run semifinal victory over Sri Lanka, according to Al Jazeera. At Korogi Athletic Park, India made Sri Lanka chase 170 and then bowled them out for 45 after 9.5 overs.³

Pakistan reached the gold-medal match by beating Bangladesh by six wickets in a semifinal shortened to 13 overs because of a wet outfield, Al Jazeera reported. Pakistan’s quarterfinal against Hong Kong, China had been abandoned because of rain, with Pakistan advancing on its international ranking. Al Jazeera said all four quarterfinals were washed out and the semifinalists progressed by ranking.³

Medals and rivalry

The result gave India consecutive men’s Asian Games cricket gold medals, according to the BBC, after its earlier title in Hangzhou. India and Pakistan generally meet in international tournaments and at neutral venues because of political tensions between the countries. The Guardian reported that the captains did not exchange the customary handshakes before this final.¹²³

India’s players carried their national flag around the ground after the victory. After losing the semifinal, Sri Lanka secured the bronze medal with a 63-run win over Bangladesh in the playoff for third place. The Guardian also reported that India’s women had won their final against Sri Lanka by 147 runs in September.¹³