NAGOYA: India defeated Pakistan in the Asian Games cricket final to claim the title after Pakistan failed to chase the 212-run target set by their opponents. The final was played in Nishin, Japan, with India producing a strong batting display before successfully defending their total.
Pakistan began the chase with Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat at the crease. Farhan scored 10 runs from 11 deliveries before being dismissed, while Maaz Sadaqat contributed 23 runs. Usman Khan also struggled to build momentum, scoring just three runs from six balls before losing his wicket to Shivam Dube.
Hasan Nawaz was the standout performer for Pakistan, producing an outstanding innings of 96 runs. He kept Pakistan’s hopes alive until the final delivery of the match, but was dismissed on the last ball as Pakistan fell short of the required target.
Earlier, Indian captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first. Suryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma gave India an aggressive start, with Suryavanshi scoring 15 runs before his dismissal. Abhishek Sharma then took control of the innings with a blistering 61 from just 28 deliveries.
Ishan Kishan added 21 runs, while Tilak Varma continued India’s attacking approach with an impressive half-century. Varma reached his fifty in only 20 balls, helping India maintain a high scoring rate during the crucial stages of the innings.
India finished their 20 overs at 211 for six, setting Pakistan a target of 212. Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal claimed two wickets each for Pakistan, while Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub took one wicket apiece.
Pakistan made one change to their lineup for the final, bringing in Saad Masood in place of Wasim Junior, while India retained an unchanged team. Pakistan’s XI included Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Muqeem and Saad Masood.
