Nagoya: India retained the Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal, beating arch-rivals Pakistan by 19 runs in the final at Aichi-Nagoya. It was India’s second straight gold, following the 2022 triumph in Hangzhou — and it completed a golden double after the women’s team won earlier.
Rain, then glory
Stand-in coach VVS Laxman revealed the scale of the challenge afterwards: “It was quite challenging since the time we came to Japan. We hardly had any practice sessions, hardly had any preparation… because of the weather, we were not able to access the ground.”
Rain had washed out quarterfinals and disrupted the schedule throughout the tournament. India’s semifinal against Sri Lanka — a crushing 124-run win in which Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 45 — showed what the side could do when it finally got on the park.
The final
Key contributions from Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel carried India in the final. The 19-run margin flattered Pakistan slightly — India controlled the contest after posting a competitive total and squeezing with spin through the middle overs.
A rivalry subplot
The final also revived the handshake debate: India have not exchanged handshakes with Pakistan at recent events, and the pre-match protocols were decided by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. On the field, though, it was India’s cricket that did the talking.
What it means
With a young squad led superbly in difficult conditions, this gold underlines India’s remarkable depth — a second-string side beating Pakistan’s best is no small statement. For Pakistan, another final defeat to India will sting.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
