Lone warrior Hasan Nawaz kept Pakistan alive with his unbeaten 96 off 51 deliveries but it wasn't enough as India clinched a dominant 19 runs victory to defend their gold medal in the Asian Games men’s cricket final match at Korogi Sports Park on Saturday.
Abhishek reached his fifty in just 20 deliveries, bettering his own 24-ball effort against Pakistan in Dubai in 2025, while Tilak followed with a 21-ball fifty as the duo took India through contrasting phases of the innings.
Abhishek eventually made 61 off 28 balls, with three fours and seven sixes, while Tilak and Shivam Dube added 62 runs for the sixth wicket to give India a strong finish.
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
