India won the toss and made 211/6 against Pakistan in the Asian Games men's cricket gold medal match in Nisshin, with Abhishek Sharma hitting 61 off 28 and Tilak Varma 51 not out off 22. At the time of writing, Pakistan needed 91 from 38 balls.
The Asian Games men's cricket gold medal match between India and Pakistan is live at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday 3 October. India won the toss, chose to bat and finished on 211/6 from their 20 overs (10.55 an over), setting Pakistan 212 to win. This piece is written mid-chase: at the time of writing, Pakistan were 121/3 after 13.4 overs, needing 91 from 38 balls. The result is not known yet.
| India's innings | |
|---|---|
| Total | 211/6 (20 overs) |
| Abhishek Sharma | 61 (28), 3 fours, 7 sixes |
| Tilak Varma | 51* (22), 3 fours, 4 sixes |
| Shivam Dube | 27 (15), 2 fours, 2 sixes |
| Shreyas Iyer (c) | 21 (24) |
| Ishan Kishan | 20 (18) |
| Saim Ayub | 4-0-47-1 |
| Ahmed Daniyal | 3-0-43-2 |
| Arafat Minhas | 2 wickets (2/25 in 3 overs) |
| Target | 212 |
The innings
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi went for 15 off 9, caught by Usman Khan off Saim Ayub, and Abhishek Sharma then took over. His 61 came off 28 balls with seven sixes, a strike rate of 217.85, and ended when he was stumped by Usman Khan charging at Arafat Minhas. Sanju Samson fell for 2 and India were 93/3 after 7.5 overs.
The middle overs gave Pakistan a way back. Wickets fell at 128 and 133, so India were 133/5 in the 15th over, with Kishan bowled by Minhas and Iyer caught off Abrar Ahmed. Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube then added the late runs: Dube hit 27 off 15 before falling to Ahmed Daniyal at 195/6, and Tilak finished unbeaten on 51 off 22 (strike rate 231.81). Extras were 13, 11 of them wides.
The chase so far
Hasan Nawaz was on 54 not out off 29 balls (one four, five sixes) and Saim Ayub on 28 not out off 20 when we checked. Maaz Sadaqat went for 23 off 18. Jasprit Bumrah, India's only frontline fast bowler, had 2.4-0-18-0 and Ravi Bishnoi 3-0-44-0 at that point. With 91 needed off 38, the live win predictor gave India 83.24%, though Nawaz's six-hitting is the reason the game is still open.
On team news, India named an unchanged side from their 124-run semi-final win over Sri Lanka. Pakistan, captained by Sahibzada Farhan, made one change: legspin-bowling allrounder Saad Masood came in for his T20I debut in place of seamer Mohammad Wasim Jnr, leaving Daniyal as their only genuine seam option. Masood bowled 3-0-33-0.
The occasion
According to Cricinfo, there were no handshakes between the players at the toss, in line with the recent trend in India v Pakistan games. This is the seventh meeting between the sides in the final of a major tournament (five or more teams), and the record stands at India 3, Pakistan 3. India are defending the gold they won on debut in 2023, while Pakistan are chasing their first men's cricket gold. Earlier in the day Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh for bronze, with Cricinfo pointing to a stellar all-round performance from Tharindu Ratnayake.
Set your own target
A total of 212 is the kind of number BuildXI asks you to build for. You spin eleven real IPL squads from 2008 to 2025, take one player from each, and play a full season with the XI you end up with. Hitters like Abhishek and Tilak help, but so does a bowling attack that can defend a score. The target is 14-0: fourteen league games, fourteen wins.