Asian Games: Twitter Erupts As India Beat Pakistan by 19 runs To Retain Gold Medal in Men's Cricket

Nagoya, Oct 3: India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in a tricky final to retain the Asian Games men's cricket gold medal here on Saturday at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.

Winning the toss on a spinning track, Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first in a bit to put pressure on the opposition. The Indian side followed the same template from their 124-run win over Sri Lanka in the final; India put on a massive 211 runs on the board, courtesy of a quickfire start from opener Abhishek Sharma and a stellar finish from vice-captain Tilak Varma.

The tall score, however, came under a brief scare when Hazan Nawaz's rapid half-century threatened to take the game away. With 44 required off 12 balls, Jasprit Bumrah's penultimate over nearly shut the lid on Nawaz and Pakistan, leaving a 33-run deficit for the final over.

Despite losing Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson early in the Powerplay, Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a blistering half-century, powering India through the opening six overs. The left-hander eventually departed for 61 off 28 balls, having smashed three fours and seven sixes.

India briefly wobbled in the middle overs after Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer fell within the space of six deliveries. Tilak Varma, however, shifted the momentum with a stunning counterattack, racing to his fifty in just 21 balls, including three fours and four sixes, to propel India to a formidable total on a two-paced surface.

Pakistan's chase began cautiously in the Powerplay, but Hazan Nawaz's explosive half-century threatened to swing the momentum during the middle overs. Ravi Bishnoi came under pressure, conceding 44 runs in his three overs, but Pakistan ultimately found the target beyond their reach on a sluggish pitch.

The victory extended India's dominance in the format, marking their seventh consecutive T20I win over Pakistan since 2021 and their 15th victory in 18 meetings between the sides since 2007.

How Are Netizens Reacting To Asian Games Gold?

Indian fans took to social media to celebrate the Asian Games gold medal of the Indian men's cricket team:

Team India did a victory lap right after they won the Asian Games gold medal.

There was a lot of discussion on social media about the incident between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Saim Ayub right after the Pakistani all-rounder took his wicket.