India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket gold medal match at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, to claim the gold medal. India posted 211/6 in their 20 overs before restricting Pakistan to 192/6 in their allotted 20 overs. After India’s victory, the players did not exchange the customary handshake with their Pakistani counterparts. The development continued the no-handshake pattern that has been seen during recent India-Pakistan cricket meetings. The two captains, Shreyas Iyer and Sahibzada Farhan, had also skipped the handshake during the toss before the final. India’s batting effort was led by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 61 off 28 balls, including three fours and seven sixes. Tilak Varma provided the late impetus with an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls, while Shivam Dube contributed 27 off 15 deliveries as India finished with 211/6.
Pakistan faced a challenging target of 212 and finished on 192/6 after 20 overs. India’s bowlers managed to keep the Pakistan batting line-up from completing the chase, securing a 19-run victory and another gold medal for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games. The no-handshake moment after the final attracted attention because the practice has continued in India-Pakistan cricket since their meetings at the 2025 Asia Cup. However, the pattern has largely been specific to cricket; Indian and Pakistani athletes have exchanged greetings in other sports at the ongoing Asian Games. India’s men’s cricket gold adds to the country’s strong campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The victory also gives India back-to-back Asian Games men’s cricket gold medals, after the team won the title at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
