Indian men’s cricket team successfully defended its gold medal at the Asian Games 2026, defeating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final match at the Karogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday (October 3).

Opting to bat first, the Shreyas Iyer-led Indian squad posted a commanding total of 211/6. Opener Abhishek Sharma blasted 61 runs off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma provided late-innings fireworks with a blistering 51* off just 22 deliveries.

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.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah attended the high-profile finale alongside Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha and local dignitaries.

After the game, Shah met the Indian players and congratulated them on clinching gold. During the interaction, a heartwarming moment went viral as India’s teenage batting sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, touched Shah's feet as a traditional sign of respect.

Here’s the video:

Sooryavanshi gave a glimpse of his explosive potential by smashing two consecutive sixes off Pakistan's Saad Masood in the gold medal match. However, his brief cameo came to an end on the first ball of the third over when he attempted a reverse sweep against Saim Ayub and was caught behind.

Sooryavanshi scored 15 runs off 9 deliveries, operating at a blazing strike rate of 166.67. Following his dismissal, Ayub gave the young prodigy a cheeky "baby-cradle" send-off, which went viral and drew severe criticism from fans.

Despite his early dismissal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history by becoming India's youngest-ever gold medallist at the Asian Games at just 15 years of age, surpassing the previous record held by shooter Saurabh Chaudhary.