India retain their Asian Games cricket gold with a 19-run win over Pakistan

India retained the Asian Games men's cricket gold medal in Japan, holding Pakistan to 192 for 6 in reply to their 211 for 6

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs at Korogi Sports Park on Saturday to keep the men's cricket title they won at the last Games, in Hangzhou. Shreyas Iyer won the toss, chose to bat, and India reached 211 for 6 from their 20 overs.

It is the highest first-innings total made in a Twenty20 international between the two sides. Pakistan answered with 192 for 6, a reply built largely on one innings, and were behind the required rate from the halfway point onwards.

Pakistan have still to win the men's cricket gold at an Asian Games. They reached the final through a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in the semi-finals.

Abhishek Sharma sets the tempo

Abhishek Sharma made 61 from 28 balls with three fours and seven sixes, reaching his fifty in 20 deliveries. It is the fastest half-century by an India batter against Pakistan in the format, bettering the 24-ball innings he played against them in Dubai last year.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored at the same speed before falling for 15 from 9, and the opening exchanges set a rate India never had to recover.

India were 114 after ten overs, a platform that left the second half of the innings as an exercise in acceleration rather than repair.

Tilak Varma finishes the innings

Shreyas Iyer contributed 21 from 24 and Ishan Kishan 20 from 18, both innings holding the middle order together while the strokeplay happened at the other end.

Tilak Varma then produced the innings that carried India past 200, finishing unbeaten on 51 from 22 balls with three fours and four sixes. His fifty took 21 deliveries, the second-fastest by an India batter against Pakistan in T20Is after Abhishek's earlier in the same innings.

Tilak and Shivam Dube added 62 for the sixth wicket, Dube making 27 from 15 before he was dismissed.

Pakistan fall behind the rate

Sahibzada Farhan fell for 10 from 11 in the fourth over, and Pakistan reached the ten-over mark on 76 for 3, needing 136 from the last 60 balls.

Saim Ayub made 29 from 21 and Maaz Sadaqat 23 from 18, but neither stayed long enough to change the arithmetic.

Axar Patel took two wickets as India's spinners squeezed the middle overs, and the asking rate climbed above 13 an over while Pakistan were still rebuilding.

Hasan Nawaz keeps the chase alive

Hasan Nawaz was the one Pakistan batter to go at the rate the chase demanded, reaching 58 not out from 30 balls by the end of the 14th over and 76 not out by the 17th, when Pakistan were 152 for 4.

India's bowlers held the closing overs, and Pakistan finished 20 short of the target with four wickets in hand.

A repeat of Hangzhou

India came into the final having beaten Sri Lanka by 124 runs in their semi-final, bowling the Sri Lankans out for 45 in reply to 169 for 7. Pakistan's route was narrower, a six-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka took the bronze medal earlier on Saturday, beating Bangladesh by 63 runs in the third-place play-off at the same ground.

India's men last won this title at the Hangzhou Games, where they beat Afghanistan in the final. Pakistan's wait goes on: their cricket golds at the Asian Games have come in the women's event.

Scorecard: India 211 for 6 (20 overs) beat Pakistan 192 for 6 (20 overs) by 19 runs at Korogi Sports Park.

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