India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games cricket final after setting a 212-run target and restricting the green shirts at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday. Pakistan were restricted to 192-6 despite a promising start and a resilient 96 not out from Hasan Nawaz off 51 deliveries.
Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat put together a 33-run partnership before captain Farhan was dismissed by Washington Sundar for 10 off 11 deliveries. Pakistan suffered further blows as Axar Patel and Shivam Dube struck through the middle overs to reduce the batting side to deep trouble.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, India posted a formidable total thanks to blistering knocks from Abhishek Sharma, who scored 61 off 28 deliveries, alongside contributions from Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan. Pakistan's bowlers fought back in the later stages with wickets from Arafat Minhas and Abrar Ahmed, but the steep target proved too much as India clinched the gold medal.