India secured a second consecutive gold medal in the Asian Games by defeating Pakistan in the T20 final, yet their one‑day international team missed the chance to complete a 3‑0 series whitewash over the West Indies on the same day, after Shai Hope’s unbeaten 162 powered the visitors to a historic chase of 352 runs. The Asian Games showdown in Japan saw India post a formidable total of 211 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. The innings was anchored by a blistering 61 off just 28 balls from Abhishek Sharma, a composed 51‑not‑out off 22 balls by Tilak Varma, and a quick‑fire 27 off 15 balls from Shivam Dube. Pakistan’s reply never got off the mark; they slumped to 39 for 3 early on and, despite a valiant 96‑run effort from Hasan Nawaz off 51 balls, could only muster 192 for 6, handing India a 19‑run victory.
This win marked India’s seventh straight triumph over arch‑rivals Pakistan in the T20 format and their 14th win out of the 18 contests the two nations have played in this version of the game. Meanwhile, in New Chandigarh, the ODI side faced a different narrative. West Indies, chasing a daunting 352, eclipsed India’s 351‑7 with ten balls to spare. Captain Shai Hope, who had already notched his 21st ODI century and his second in as many matches, steered the chase with a masterful 162‑not‑out.
His innings, spanning 143 balls, featured 17 fours and three sixes, and culminated with a sweeping slog over deep fine leg off spinner Naman Dhir that leveled the scores, before a decisive single to long‑off secured a five‑wicket win for the tourists after India had suffered defeats in Thiruvananthapuram and Guwahati. Hope’s knock was not without drama. A contentious dismissal saw Sherfane Rutherford given out caught behind off Dhir for 24 runs.
The on‑field decision stood after a review, despite Rutherford’s protest that the sound on the Snicko sensor was caused by bat‑on‑pad rather than bat‑on‑ball contact. That wicket left West Indies at 206 for 3 after 30 overs, but Hope, who kept wicket for the full 50‑over innings before opening the batting, forged crucial partnerships: a 44‑run stand with Keemo Paul, a 19‑run partnership with Gudakesh Motie, and an earlier 109‑run partnership with Amir Jangoo, who contributed 67 runs.
India’s massive total had been built on a spectacular 129‑not‑out from KL Rahul off just 87 deliveries, complemented by Rohit Sharma’s 92 off 85 balls and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s steady 57 off 69. However, the middle order crumbled.
Shubman Gill, who had previously scored an unbeaten 223 in the second ODI to help India chase down 406, fell for a single run, and Virat Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck in consecutive deliveries from West Indies pacer Jayden Seales in the third over. Seales bowled Kohli’s middle stump cleanly, and moments earlier Gill had edged a ball that was caught by Hope in a diving one‑handed effort. The two sides will meet again soon in a five‑match T20 series, beginning in Lucknow on Tuesday. India will call up several players who featured in the Asian Games triumph, including Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer and the 15‑year‑old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, to bolster the squad for the upcoming series.
Cricket has been a fixture of the Asian Games since its introduction in 2010, missing only the 2018 edition in Indonesia. India made an immediate impact by winning gold on their debut at the 2022 Games in China and have now reaffirmed their dominance with another gold in Japan. The next edition of the Asian Games is slated to take place in Qatar in November 2030, promising more opportunities for cricket’s inclusion on the multi‑sport stage.