India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to win the men's cricket gold at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Chasing 212, Pakistan slumped to 39-3 before Hasan Nawaz struck 96, but it was not enough. India, batting first, posted 211-6, driven by Abhishek Sharma's blistering 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51. After the win, India secured back-to-back golds following their debut victory four years prior in Hangzhou, China.
The wickets were shared among the India bowlers with spinners Axar Patel and Washington Sundar both taking 2-29, while all-rounder Shivam Dube took 2-33. Blistering half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma set India on their way to victory as they beat fierce rivals Pakistan by 19 runs to win gold at the Asian Games. Having opted to bat first in Nagoya, India racked up a commanding 211-6 with Abhishek smashing seven sixes as he made 61 from 28 balls at the top of the order. A stunning start helped the defending champions reach 81-2 at the end of the powerplay as Abhishek dominated the bowling before falling in the eighth over. But the runs kept coming and Tilak's unbeaten 51 from 22, which featured three fours and four sixes, kept the momentum going until the end of innings. Pakistan were soon in trouble in the chase, slipping to 39-3 and, despite a superb knock of 96 from Hasan Nawaz, they came up well short.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing