Team India successfully defended their gold medal when they beat Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 final by 19 runs. Shreyas Iyer wore a relieved look after the opposition batting unit led by Hassan Nawaz put up a fight during the second half of the game. The 24-year-old was out on the last ball of the game for 96 runs.
Speaking after the game ended, Iyer hailed the spirit shown by his side. “When you are playing a final, youneed every individual to stand up and deliver the goods, and that’s what we got to see today.”
Complimenting his players, Iyer added, “Abhishek gave us a good start with the bat, and Tilak ended the innings very well. With the ball, Sundar took charge, and Axar was at his usual self and performed well, and we all know what Bumrah can do. Overall it was a comprehensive win.”
When asked about the celebrations, theIndian captain said, “Extremely happy, and we are all waiting to head back to the hotel. We have been in the ground for a while now. We haven’t made up our minds about the celebration, and we will see.”
India batted first and posted a massive total of 211 runs on the board thanks to Tilak Varmawho scored 51 not out. The left-handed batter helped the Men in Blue to score 69 runs in the last four overs as he found decent support from Shivam Dube towards the backend of the innings.
Earlier in the day, Abhishek Sharmawho was dismissed for seven runs in the last game, came to the fore with the bat. The 26-year-old scored 61 runs from just 28 balls with seven sixes in his knock along with three boundaries. Ahmed Daniyal and Arafat Minhas were the best bowlers for Pakistan with two scalps each.
Indian bowlers rose to the occasion
In the second half of the final, Washington Sundar got the key scalp of Sahibzada Farhan for 10 runs. Axar Patel then dismissed Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat to reduce the Men in Green to 39 for three in the seventh over. Pakistan were also helped by sloppy fielding by the Indian team, who dropped catches.
Saim Ayub and Hassan then joined forces as the pair added 87 runs for the fourth wicket in 48 balls. Their stand was broken when Ayub was dismissed by Dube. Despite losing wickets, Nawaz kept his team in the hunt. But with 33 runs needed in the last over, Pakistan couldn’t cross the finishing line.