India won 21 gold medals at the Asian Games 2026. One of these golds came on the final day of the competition when the Indian men's cricket team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the final on October 3 (Saturday) at the Korakuen Stadium in Nisshin, Japan, by 19 runs. This was the most tightly contested India vs Pakistan match in a long time, and at many points in the game, the Men in Green genuinely kept the Indian fans on the edge of their seats. However, BCCI president Mithun Manhas criticised the fall in the quality of India vs Pakistan matches in recent years.
Speaking after the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket gold medal match, Mithun Manhas said that Pakistan do not offer competition anymore. However, the way Team India handled pressure situations is something no other team in the world could do.
“They defeated arch-rivals Pakistan, who I feel don't offer much competition anymore, and the way our team handled pressure situations... no other team in the world can do that," Manhas said.
Deep Dive
What criticisms did BCCI president Mithun Manhas have regarding Pakistan's cricketing competition?
How did India manage to post a winning total against Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 final?
What role did Tilak Varma play in the Asian Games final that was considered critical for India's win?
The BCCI president also reiterated that India were the best team at the Asian Games cricket tournament, and they truly performed like defending champions.
"By far the best team of the tournament. We are the defending champions, and the performance they have shown this time is commendable,” he added.
Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma were the two stars of the show vs Pakistan, with both batters smashing fifties. Praising both of them, Manhas said that India's batting has been tremendous.
“This is a team sport. Tilak Varma batted brilliantly, and Abhishek Sharma set the tone for the game. The job of openers is to build the innings, and the middle order finishes it. So, the openers basically set the tone," Manhas said.
{{/usCountry}}“This is a team sport. Tilak Varma batted brilliantly, and Abhishek Sharma set the tone for the game. The job of openers is to build the innings, and the middle order finishes it. So, the openers basically set the tone," Manhas said.
{{/usCountry}}“Team India's batting has been tremendous, and as for the bowling, I would say everyone contributed together to defend a good total,” the former Delhi batter added.ALSO READ: Rescue team from collapse, revive stalled innings: Why Tilak Varma does India’s most thankless job
Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma fifties fire India to Asian Games 2026 gold medal
In the Asian Games 2026 final, India won the toss and opted to bat first. The Men in Blue put on a mammoth total of 211 on the board in the first innings, and this was the first time in this tournament that a team crossed the 200-run mark. Abhishek Sharma started the run-scoring at the start as he smashed 61 from 28 balls. India did lose some wickets and momentum in the middle, but they were provided a strong finish by Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube, who stitched 62 runs from 30 balls for the 6th wicket. Tilak went on to smash 51 from 22 balls.
The Indian bowling was put under the pump in the Pakistan run chase, especially by Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 runs from 51 deliveries. However, the bowlers kept their nerve and restricted them to 182/6 after their 20 overs, thus winning the game by 19 runs. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar were the pick of the bowlers, scalping two wickets each. Even though Jasprit Bumrah did not take any wickets, he bowled some incredible overs in tense situations to keep the run chase out of Pakistan's reach.