The Indian men's cricket team successfully defended their Asian Games gold medal with a 19 runs victory over Pakistan at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday, October 3.
Batting first, India posted a formidable 211/6. Abhishek Sharma top-scored with a blistering 61 off 28 balls, smashing seven sixes and three fours.
Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided a fiery start before departing for 15. Shreyas Iyer (21) and Ishan Kishan (20) made handy contributions, but it was Tilak Varma who ultimately propelled India past the 200-run mark.
Arriving at a crucial juncture, Varma punished the Pakistan bowlers in the death overs, hammering an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls. Shivam Dube also chipped in with a quickfire 27 off 15 deliveries.
Defending the massive target, India started strongly, reducing Pakistan to 39 for three. However, Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub stitched together an 87-run stand for the fourth wicket to bring Pakistan back into the contest.
Shivam Dube then provided the much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Ayub, firmly putting India back in the driver's seat. The Indian bowlers held their nerve, eventually restricting Pakistan to 192/5 to seal the win.
