Hasan Nawaz’s 96 goes in vain as India beat Pakistan to claim Asian Games gold
Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat put Pakistan on course with an opening stand of 33 before India’s spin attack struck in successive overs.Washington Sundar dismissed Pakistan captain Farhan for 10 from 11 balls, with the opener hitting one boundary, before Axar Patel removed wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan for three from six deliveries.
Pakistan were 36-2 after 4.5 overs and Axar struck again soon afterwards, dismissing Maaz for a valuable 23 from 18 balls. The left-hander hit three boundaries as Pakistan slipped to 39-3 after 6.1 overs.
Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz then launched Pakistan’s recovery, putting together an 87-run fourth-wicket partnership that revived their hopes of chasing down India’s imposing total.Nawaz continued his impressive tournament with another aggressive innings and reached his third T20I half-century.
But India’s bowlers regained control when Shivam Dube dismissed Saim for 29 from 22 balls. His innings included two fours and a six.Pakistan were five down when Sundar claimed his second wicket, removing Abdul Samad for nine from 12 balls, leaving the score at 162-5 after 17.3 overs.
Pakistan required 33 runs from the final over, leaving them with a difficult task, and could manage only 192-6 at the end of their 20 overs.Nawaz remained unbeaten on a magnificent 96 from 51 balls, striking five fours and seven sixes, but his effort was not enough to deny India the gold medal.
Saad Masood finished unbeaten on 12.For India, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube took two wickets each to restrict Pakistan and secure the 19-run victory.Earlier, India opted to bat first and made a fast start as openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma attacked Pakistan’s bowlers from the outset.
Saim Ayub provided Pakistan with an early breakthrough when he dismissed Sooryavanshi with the first delivery of the third over, ending a 28-run opening stand. Sooryavanshi scored 15 from nine balls, including two boundaries.Abhishek continued his aggressive assault, helping India race past 50 in the fourth over before Pakistan struck again.Ahmed Daniyal removed Sanju Samson for two from four balls, leaving India 51-2 after 3.5 overs.
The left-hander remained undeterred and brought up his 13th T20I half-century in emphatic fashion before Arafat Minhas finally ended his charge.Abhishek was dismissed for a blistering 61 from just 28 balls, with his innings featuring three fours and seven sixes.
Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan then rebuilt the innings, adding 35 for the fourth wicket as India moved beyond the 100-run mark.
Minhas broke the partnership by dismissing Kishan for 20 from 18 balls, including three boundaries, leaving India 128-4 after 13.1 overs.Pakistan then claimed the important wicket of India captain Iyer, with Abrar Ahmed removing him for 21 from 24 deliveries. Iyer struck two boundaries.
Shivam Dube provided the next burst of acceleration, hitting two boundaries as India moved beyond 150 in the 17th over.
Tilak Varma then took control of the closing overs, smashing consecutive sixes against Sufiyan Muqeem in the 18th over before continuing his assault.Daniyal struck with the first delivery of the final over to dismiss Dube for 27 from 15 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
But Varma finished strongly, hitting another six to take India past 200 before completing his half-century with another maximum.He remained unbeaten on 51 from 22 balls, with three fours and four sixes, as India closed on 211-6.Daniyal and Minhas claimed two wickets each for Pakistan, while Abrar and Saim took one apiece.
About the Author
