- Hasan Nawaz smashes 96 in Pakistan’s chase.
- Saim Ayub and Nawaz forged 87-run partnership.
- Axar, Sundar, Dube take two wickets each.
India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games cricket final after setting a daunting 212-run target and restricting Green Shirts in the chase at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday.
Pakistan were restricted to 192-6 despite making a promising start, with openers Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat putting together a 33-run partnership.
However, the stand was broken when captain Farhan was dismissed by Washington Sundar for 10 off 11 deliveries, with the opener hitting one boundary.
Pakistan suffered another blow in the following over as Axar Patel dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan for three off six deliveries, leaving Pakistan at 36-2 after 4.5 overs.
Axar struck again as Maaz departed for a valuable 23 off 18 deliveries, including three boundaries, leaving Pakistan at 39-3 after 6.1 overs.
Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz then joined forces and put together a solid partnership to steady Pakistan’s innings. Their efforts helped Pakistan regain momentum and take their total past the 100-run mark.
Nawaz continued his impressive form with the bat, leading from the front as he brought up his third T20I half-century.
However, their 87-run partnership was eventually broken when Shivam Dube dismissed Saim for 29 off 22 deliveries. The batter struck two boundaries and a six.
Pakistan were five down when Sundar struck again, dismissing Abdul Samad for a run-a-ball nine, with the batter hitting one boundary, leaving Pakistan at 162-5 after 17.3 overs.
With 33 runs required off the final over, Pakistan fell short despite Nawaz remaining unbeaten on 96 off 51 deliveries, including five boundaries and seven sixes. Saad Masood contributed 12 as Pakistan finished on 192-6.
For India, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube claimed two wickets each in their respective spells.
Earlier, after opting to bat first, India made a flying start as openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma struck early boundaries to put Pakistan under pressure.
However, Saim provided Pakistan with a much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Sooryavanshi with the first delivery of the third over, ending the 28-run opening partnership. Sooryavanshi scored 15 off nine deliveries, including two boundaries.
Abhishek continued his aggressive approach, regularly clearing the ropes as India raced past the 50-run mark in the fourth over.
Pakistan then claimed their second wicket when Ahmed Daniyal dismissed Sanju Samson for two off four deliveries, leaving India at 51-2 after 3.5 overs.
Abhishek continued to pile on the runs with relentless boundary-hitting and brought up his 13th T20I half-century in emphatic fashion.
Pakistan eventually dismissed the dangerous left-hander when Arafat Minhas removed the well-set batter for 61 off 28 deliveries, with his blistering innings featuring three boundaries and seven sixes.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan then joined hands to steady India’s innings, forging a useful partnership that helped their side move past the 100-run mark.
India were four wickets down when Minhas struck again, ending the 35-run partnership by dismissing Kishan for 20 off 18 deliveries, including three boundaries. India were 128-4 after 13.1 overs.
The Blue Shirts lost their fifth wicket when Abrar Ahmed dismissed Iyer for 21 off 24 deliveries, with the skipper hitting two boundaries.
Dube then struck a couple of boundaries to ease the pressure and help India move past the 150-run mark in the 17th over.
Tilak Varma continued to add valuable runs, putting further pressure on Pakistan’s bowlers with back-to-back sixes off Sufiyan Muqeem in the 18th over.
Daniyal bowled the final over and struck with the first delivery, dismissing Dube after the all-rounder scored 27 off 15 deliveries, including two boundaries and two sixes.
Varma continued his assault, smashing a six to take India past the 200-run mark in the 19th over. He followed it up with another maximum to bring up his 10th T20I half-century as India finished their innings on 211-6.
Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 22 deliveries, with his innings featuring three boundaries and four sixes.
For Pakistan, Daniyal and Minhas claimed two wickets each, while Abrar and Saim picked up one wicket apiece.