Asian Games 2026: India survive Hasan Nawaz scare to secure 2nd successive gold medal

India clinched their second successive gold medal in the men’s cricket event of the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday, October 3, at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin. The Men in Blue hammered Pakistan by 19 runs in the final to secure a top finish on the podium after a nerve-wracking encounter with the arch-rivals.

After opting to bat first, India posted a humongous score of 211/6, riding on half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma (61 off 28) and Tilak Varma (51* off 22). In reply, Pakistan came close to overhauling the target, courtesy of a heroic effort from Hasan Nawaz (96 off 51).

However, he didn’t get much support from the rest of the batters as Pakistan were restricted to 192/6 in their 20 overs. Nawaz failed to complete his second T20I century as he got dismissed caught behind on the last ball of the match.

For India, Axar Patel (2/29), Washington Sundar (2/29) and Shivam Dube (2/33, 3 overs) scalped two wickets each. 

Earlier, Sri Lanka clinched the bronze medal after beating Bangladesh by 63 runs. After opting to bat first, Sri Lanka posted a good score of 165/9 in their 20 overs, with Tharindu Ratnayake (65 off 32) scoring a brilliant half-century.

In reply, Bangladesh were bundled out for just 102 in 17.3 overs.