NISSHIN: India completed a golden double in Asian Games cricket on Saturday, beating arch-rivals Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s final to retain their title.
Batting first after captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat at Korogi Sports Park, India piled up 211 for 6 — the highest total of the Aichi-Nagoya Games — thanks to blistering half-centuries from opener Abhishek Sharma (61 off 28 balls) and Tilak Varma, who smashed 51 not out off just 22 balls.
Chasing 212, Pakistan needed a fast start but limped to 76 for 3 at the halfway stage against some tight bowling from Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Axar Patel, who removed Usman Khan and Maaz Sadaqat.
Hasan Nawaz’s defiant 96 kept Pakistan in the hunt almost single-handedly, but wickets fell around him and he was dismissed off the last ball of the match, with Pakistan finishing on 192 for 6.
“A huge occasion when you are playing Pakistan in the final, the whole country is watching and you have that pressure,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said afterwards.
Earlier, Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 63 runs to take the bronze medal. India’s women had already won gold, beating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in their final on September 22.