Kamran Akmal criticized Sam Ayub's celebration after the 2026 Asian Games match

In the men's cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026, a gold medal match took place between India and Pakistan. This contest was held on October 3rd (Saturday) at the Korogi Stadium in Nishin. The Indian team won by a margin of 19 points.

Having chosen to bat first after the toss, the Indian squad scored 211 runs, losing six batsmen. In response, the Pakistani team managed only 192 runs, marking the second consecutive gold medal for the Indian men's team at the Asian Games. Previously, at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022, the Indian team secured gold by defeating Sri Lanka.

The starting batsmen Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Verma played a decisive role in India's victory. Abhishek scored 61 runs off 28 balls, including seven sixes and three fours. Tilak Verma made an invaluable contribution, scoring 51 runs off 22 balls, utilizing four sixes and three fours. A partnership between Tilak Verma and Shiv Dube amassed 60 runs from 30 balls for the fifth wicket. The last four overs proved to be a turning point in the match, as the Indian batsmen scored 69 runs.

For Pakistan, Arafat Minhaj and Ahmed Daniyal each took two wickets. During the game, the Pakistani team lost three wickets while scoring 39 runs. At this juncture, the partnership between Hasan Nawaz and Sam Ayub offered hope to the Pakistanis, accumulating 87 runs. However, Shiv Dube broke this partnership, dismissing Ayub (29 runs).

Even after Ayub's dismissal, Hasan Nawaz remained at the crease. He received support during crucial moments, but the pace of the game continuously increased, allowing the Indian team to gain control of the match. Nawaz was dismissed in the final over of his innings, scoring 96 runs off 51 balls, including seven sixes and five fours.

From the Indian side, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Shiv Dube took two wickets each. At the Asian Games 2026, the teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh advanced directly to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the host Japan, Nepal, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman were scheduled to play group matches. From Group A, Nepal and Afghanistan qualified for the quarterfinals, and from Group B, Malaysia and Hong Kong qualified.

Four quarterfinal matches did not take place due to rain. Consequently, based on the best seeding, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Pakistan secured spots in the semifinals. In the semifinals, India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs, and the Pakistani team won against Bangladesh by 6 wickets.

India's full squad included Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Verma, Shiv Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah, Washington Sundar, Yashas Thakur, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Vipraj Nigam.

In the match between India and West Indies, players from the West Indies demonstrated strong play, dealing a serious blow to the Indian bowlers. John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Amir Jangu each scored a century, bringing the West Indies total to 405 runs. In rainy conditions, Kuldeep Yadav recorded a significant record.

In his 123rd ODI match, Kuldeep Yadav completed his 200th wicket, becoming the second fastest bowler in Indian history to reach this milestone. He is only surpassed by Mohammed Shammi, who took 200 wickets in 104 ODIs. Following him are Ajit Agarkar (133), Zaheer Khan (144), and Anil Kumble/Javagal Srinath (147).

Kuldeep secured his 200th wicket of Kemi Paul, who was caught by Virat Kohli in the long-on region after 45.1 overs. This moment marked Kuldeep's achievement of a double century in ODIs. Furthermore, Kuldeep surpassed Shane Warne in the number of balls required to achieve 200 ODI wickets, completing them in only 6319 deliveries. Among spinners, only Shaklan Mushtaq (5451) and Rashid Khan (5782) achieved this result with fewer balls. Following Kuldeep are Adam Jampa (6385), Adil Rashid (6881), and Shane Warne (6983).

Despite the record attack by the West Indies, Kuldeep remained among the few Indian bowlers who managed to partially contain the pace of the game. In his full quota of 10 overs, he took 2 wickets, conceding 65 runs, resulting in an economy rate of 6.50.

Before the West Indies reached 405 runs, Campbell scored 101 runs off 68 balls, Hope scored 104 runs off 94 balls, and Jangu scored 114 runs off just 77 balls. This was a rare sight in one ODI match where three batsmen score a century.

The quarterfinals of the men's cricket tournament at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya have been fully determined. After the match in Group A was cancelled due to rain on September 26 (Saturday), Nepal and Afghanistan advanced to the next round, while the host country Japan was eliminated from the tournament.

Malaysia and Hong Kong advanced to the next stage from Group B. In the last match of Group A, Nepal and Japan faced each other. This match took place at Korogi Sports Park in Nishin city. Nepal, having lost the toss, started with bat, scoring a strong total of 149/4 in 15 overs. Sandeep Jora and Lokesh Bam helped the team reach a good position, but then it started raining. Due to the continuous rain, Japan's innings did not begin, and the match ended without a winner.

This result brought direct benefits to Nepal and Afghanistan. Earlier, Nepal achieved a major surprise in Group A by defeating Afghanistan. For Japan, this match was the last chance to remain in the tournament, but the rain dashed its hopes.

In Group B, the match between Malaysia and Oman was also cancelled due to rain, and no balls were bowled. As a result of this match, Malaysia and Hong Kong qualified for the quarterfinals, and Oman's campaign ended.

Following the completion of the preliminary round matches, the full quarterfinal schedule was announced. India will face Afghanistan on September 28 (Monday) at 10:00 AM. On the same day, at 5:30 AM Indian time, Pakistan and Hong Kong will meet. The third quarterfinal match will feature Sri Lanka against Nepal, and in the fourth quarterfinal, Malaysia will play against Bangladesh. Both of these matches will take place on September 29 (Tuesday).