After India successfully defended their men's cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Mithun Manhas highly praised the squad's clinical composure in handling the massive expectations surrounding a high-stakes final against Pakistan.
Manhas also took dig at the Pakistan team, stating that the arch-rivals "don't offer much competition anymore."
The men's triumph followed close on the heels of the Indian women's national cricket team, who had successfully defended their own gold medal the previous week by thrashing Sri Lanka.
“By far the best team of the tournament. We are the defending champions, and the performance they have shown this time is commendable,” Manhas told reporters.
“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,” he added.
In the gold medal match against Pakistan at Korogi Sports Park, India posted a formidable 211/6 after opting to bat first, driven by an explosive 61 off 28 balls from Abhishek Sharma and an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls by Tilak Varma.
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.
The BCCI chief commended Tilak and Abhishek for producing impactful knocks in the all-important final.
“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.
“Team India's batting has been tremendous, and as for the bowling, I would say everyone contributed together to defend a good total,” he said.
Mithun Manhas also thanked ICC chairman Jay Shah for doing exceptional work in strengthening Indian cricket during his tenure as BCCI secretary.
“I would like to thank Jay Shah once again. He was the then BCCI secretary and his contribution has been significant in building this team.
“Not just the men's team, our women's team has also won the World Cup. His contribution has been immense. So, a special thanks to him too,” he stated.
Manhas emphasized that the momentous triumph belonged to the crores of supporting fans and also dedicated it to the Indian Armed Forces.
“This victory, I believe, should be dedicated to the crores of fans who pray for the Indian team, and especially to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country,” he said.
Manhas noted that the inclusion of cricket in the Asian Games highlights the sport's rapid global expansion as more teams from diverse nations actively get involved in the game.
“Different teams from around the world are participating, every country is getting involved in cricket, and it's a very good thing that cricket is becoming global,” he remarked.
Mithun Manhas highlighted the inspiring rise of fast bowler Auqib Nabi from Baramulla, reaffirming the board's dedication to supporting cricket in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Aquib Nabi, who comes from Baramulla, has reached here through a lot of hard work. When he played local cricket, the BCCI was running J&K cricket at the time. The BCCI has now given its full support to this association.
“We have promised to continue providing that support in the future as well. There is a lot of talent here, and it just needs to be nurtured and backed,” he concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)
