Asian Games: Abhishek, Tilak, Washington, Axar and Dube power India to back-to-back gold

Nisshin: Abhishek Sharma’s breathtaking 61 off 28, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 off 22 and an all-round effort from Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube helped India clinch back-to-back Asian Games gold medals in men’s cricket as they beat Pakistan by 19 runs in a thrilling final at Korogi Sports Park on Saturday.

India produced a brilliant, breathless and golden finish after posting 211/6, with Abhishek setting the tone with the fastest fifty by an Indian against Pakistan in T20Is before Tilak and Dube provided a late surge.

But Pakistan were not going down without a fight and were powered by a magnificent 96 off 51 from Hasan Nawaz. But India’s spinners and all-rounders held their nerve in a frenzied finish with Dube taking the wicket of Nawaz on the final ball to end Pakistan’s innings at 192 for 6 and sending the Indian players into wild celebrations.

India began their innings in typically aggressive fashion after Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first.

The 15-year-old left-hander Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit 15 in nine with two sixes before Saim Ayub dismissed him in the second over. Sanju Samson scored four in six before Ahmed Daniyal had him caught at mid-on.

However, the quick wickets did little to deter Abhishek Sharma.

The southpaw was in devastating touch in the Powerplay, reaching his fifty off 20 balls as India struck at 81/2 in the first six overs. Pakistan’s fielding was also a source of frustration for them, with Saim Ayub dropping two catches in the same over while Daniyal missed a direct-hit chance to dismiss Abhishek.

Abhishek finally holed out to Arafat Minhas for a spectacular 61 off 28 deliveries with three fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 217.85.

The Pakistan attack had a very short window to attack before the pressure from their spin bowlers started taking India. Ishan Kishan made 20 off 18 balls before the heat was felt and Shreyas Iyer added 21 from 24 balls before they lost their wickets under the pressure.

However, India had raced past 150 in 16.4 overs and had enough in the tank to unleash a late onslaught.

Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube blended superbly at the end to make it a 62-run partnership for the sixth wicket at the end.

The duo batted without respite, scoring 12 runs off the 17th over of Abrar Ahmed, 18 runs in the 18th over of Sufyan Moqim and 23 runs of the 19th over by Saim Ayub.

Daniyal struck on the first ball of the final over, removing Dube for 27 off 15, but Tilak finished 51 not out from 22 balls, including three fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 231.81, and Axar Patel scored the final single to take India to 211/6.

Tilak reached his fifty from 21 balls, making it the second-fastest fifty for India against Pakistan in the format, behind only Abhishek’s 20-ball effort earlier in the day.

The 62-run stand between Tilak and Dube is the second-highest for the sixth wicket or lower in a 5-plus team T20I tournament final, only behind the 68* between Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews against the same opponent in the T20 World Cup 2009 final at Lord’s.

India’s total of 211/6 also marked the second instance of a full-member team scoring over 200 in a 5-plus team T20I tournament final, after India had posted 255/5 against New Zealand in the T20 WC 2026 final in Ahmedabad.

Abhishek’s assault also saw him join an elite list of Indian batters in T20I finals. His 7 sixes against Pakistan put him second on the list of most sixes for India in T20I finals, behind Sanju Samson’s 8 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in 2026.

Tilak hit four sixes to match Virat Kohli, Axar Patel and Ishan Kishan at the top of the list of India’s most successful six-hitters in T20I finals.

Pakistan’s run-chase got underway at a steady pace but the Indian attack continued to pick wickets at regular intervals.

Hasan Nawaz, on the other hand, launched a breathtaking counterattack to frustrate Pakistan’s cause with a majestic 96 off 51 balls. His assault appeared to have the potential to flip the final on its head as Pakistan pursued the giant chase.

India’s all-rounders and spinners showed their true mettle when the pressure mounted.

Washington Sundar and Axar Patel shared the middle overs and prevented Pakistan from building a big total while Dube scored the most important runs, coming in at the death and removing Nawaz on the final ball of the match.

Brief scores: India 211/6 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 61, Tilak Varma 51 not out; Arafat Minhas 2-25, Ahmed Daniyal 2-43) beat Pakistan in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 96, Saim Ayub 29; Washington Sundar 2-29, Axar Patel 2-29) by 19 runs.

IANS