Pakistan lost the gold medal match to India by 19 runs.
During the Asian Games 2026 men's cricket final at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, India's 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got off to an aggressive start as he blasted two sixes off Pakistan leg-spinner Saad Masood in the second over.
Pakistan introduced all-rounder Saim Ayub into the attack for the third over. On his very first delivery, Sooryavanshi attempted a reverse sweep but got an under-edge that carried through to wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
Upon securing the breakthrough, Ayub performed an animated baby-cradle send-off—seemingly mocking the teenage batter's age and popular nickname, "Boss Baby". While Sooryavanshi remained composed and walked away, the celebration drew heavy criticism, especially after India went on to clinch the gold medal.
Speaking on his official YouTube channel, former Pakistan opening batter Ahmad Shahzad heavily slammed Saim Ayub and the national team’s overall mentality.
Shahzad pointed out that the dismissal was simply the result of an attempted reverse sweep rather than a piece of extraordinary skill. He questioned the need for theatrical gestures against a 15-year-old opponent.
“You guys are the ones who made this. You should be doing this, or the world should be doing this. The way the world has made you a kid, India has made you a kid in cricket,” Shahzad said.
He criticized the Pakistan team for failing to deliver when it truly mattered, noting that continuous losses to India in high-stakes matches have become a worrying trend.
“You lost your fourth or fifth match to them. You don’t show your fight, you don’t finish your action. What did you do? Neither does Saim Ayub know how to bat, nor does he know how to bowl well,” Shahzad added.
Ahmad Shahzad also highlighted that Pakistan erred in the field—including dropping Abhishek Sharma—and argued that focus should remain on execution rather than provocative celebrations.
“Catches are important. You dropped Abhishek Sharma’s catch and gave him a chance. You made the whole of Pakistan bow down. You lost. If you got the chance, you should perform and execute,” he concluded.
Coming to the gold medal match, India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs. After choosing to bat first, the Shreyas Iyer-led side posted a commanding total of 211/6 in 20 overs. Opener Abhishek Sharma set the tone with a destructive 61 off 28 balls while Tilak Varma provided the closing flourish with an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls.
Chasing 212, the Men in Green were restricted to 192/6. Pakistan's Hasan Nawaz kept his team in the hunt with a valiant, lone-hand knock of 96 off 51 balls, but fell to Shivam Dube on the final delivery of the match. Indian spinners Axar Patel and Washington Sundar choked the runs in the middle overs, both finishing with figures of 2-29.