India, Oct. 3 -- India national cricket team retained the Asian Games men's cricket gold medal after beating Pakistan national cricket team by 19 runs in a tense final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday. After winning the toss, captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat first and India posted 211/6 in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma provided the early fireworks with a 28-ball 61, smashing three fours and seven sixes, before Tilak Varma produced a stunning finish with an unbeaten 51 off just 22 deliveries. Iyer and Ishan Kishan also chipped in with 21 and 20 respectively, helping India recover after losing wickets in the middle overs and set Pakistan a challenging target on a two-paced surface.

Pakistan struggled to build momentum early in the...