India has done it again. Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a blazing start, and Tilak Varma finished the job in style, as the Indian cricket team beat Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 final at Karogi Athletic Park in Nisshin on Saturday to successfully defend their title.
It was a big day for Indian cricket overall. With this win, India swept both the men’s and women’s cricket golds at these Games, matching what they achieved back at Hangzhou 2023. The Indian women’s team had already beaten Sri Lanka earlier in the day to seal their own gold medal.
Batting first, India put up a competitive 211 for 6 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 61 off just 28 balls and Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 off 22 at the death. Pakistan’s Hasan Nawaz fought hard with a knock of 96, keeping his side in the hunt right up to the last over, but it wasn’t quite enough. India held on to win by 19 runs.
The result also stretched India’s head-to-head record against Pakistan in T20 cricket to 15 wins out of 18 meetings.
How India’s Innings Unfolded
India’s T20 captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got things moving early, hitting back-to-back sixes off Saad Masood in just the second over. But he didn’t last much longer, throwing his wicket away the very next over while attempting a slog reverse sweep off Saim Ayub, only to nick it straight to the keeper.
That didn’t slow India down, though. Abhishek Sharma kept the momentum going, and India brought up their fifty in just 20 balls. Pakistan got a small breakthrough when Sanju Samson fell cheaply for 2, trying to clear Ahmed Daniyal for a six.
From there, luck swung in India’s favor. Pakistan’s fielders put down two catches in the fifth over alone, with both Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer let off the hook by Abrar Ahmed. Daniyal also fluffed an easy run-out chance off his own bowling, and Sharma made Pakistan pay, reaching his 13th T20I half-century in just 19 balls. India raced to 81 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.
Sharma kept swinging freely until his luck finally ran out, and he was stumped off Arafat Minhas after a quickfire 61 off 28 balls.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, who had been in excellent form with a brilliant 80 against Sri Lanka in the semi-final, tried to steady the innings. But Pakistan’s spinners tightened the screws and dried up the boundaries.
The pressure eventually got to both batters. Ishan Kishan fell for 20 off 18 balls, and Shreyas Iyer followed soon after for 21 off 24, leaving India at 133 for 5. For nearly six overs, Pakistan’s bowlers managed to choke off the boundaries completely.
But that calm didn’t last. Tilak Varma produced a stunning late surge, finishing unbeaten on 51 off just 22 balls, with good support from Shivam Dube, who chipped in with 27 off 15, to push India well past the 200 mark. Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal picked up two wickets apiece for Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Chase Falls Just Short
Chasing 212, Pakistan started cautiously but soon found themselves in trouble, losing three quick wickets inside four overs for just 39 runs on the board.
Washington Sundar struck first, removing Pakistan’s captain Sahibzada Farhan in the fourth over. Axar Patel followed up with two wickets in consecutive overs, dismissing Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat.
That’s when Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub fought back. Nawaz led the counterattack, bringing up his fifty off just 28 balls, and the pair built a crucial partnership worth 89 runs. It was Shivam Dube who finally broke the stand, forcing Ayub to loft one straight down to Washington Sundar in the deep.
Nawaz, however, kept finding the boundary and kept Pakistan’s hopes alive. Washington Sundar struck again in the 18th over, removing Abdul Samad to tighten India’s grip on the game.
Heading into the final two overs, Pakistan needed 44 runs. Jasprit Bumrah held his nerve, conceding just 10 runs in the 19th over, which left Shivam Dube to defend 32 runs in the final over. Dube delivered under pressure, giving away just 13 runs and dismissing Nawaz for 96 off the very last ball, sealing the win for India.
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Match Summary
India: 211/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 61, Tilak Varma 51 not out; Arafat Minhas 2/25, Ahmed Daniyal 2/43)
Pakistan: 192/6 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 96; Axar Patel 2/29, Washington Sundar 2/29, Shivam Dube 2/33)
Result: India won by 19 runs