Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the Indian men’s cricket team for retaining its gold medal at the Asian Games after defeating Pakistan by 19 runs in the final of the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
India clinched its second consecutive Asian Games gold in men’s cricket with a strong performance at the Karogi Sports Park in Nisshin.
“The gold comes to India yet again! Congratulations to our Men’s Cricket Team on retaining their title at the Asian Games. This is indeed a joyous occasion for the nation. My best wishes to the team members for their future endeavours,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X.
Earlier, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah also congratulated the Indian team on its victory.
“Nagoya and Japan have written a proud new chapter in cricket’s history. Congratulations to Team India on a campaign worthy of this moment, and heartfelt thanks to every competing nation, to the Olympic Council of Asia and organisers whose vision brought us here, and to the thousands of fans whose presence reminded us why cricket is so special anywhere in the world,” Shah wrote on X.
India posted 211/6 after Abhishek Sharma smashed 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 22. Shivam Dube also provided a late surge as India set Pakistan a challenging target.
Pakistan mounted a strong chase, with Hasan Nawaz hitting a superb 96 off 51 balls. However, India’s spinners and all-rounders held their nerve in the closing stages.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel took two wickets each, while Dube dismissed Nawaz with the final delivery as Pakistan finished on 192/6, giving India a 19-run victory.
The result secured India’s second successive men’s cricket gold at the Asian Games.
(IANS Inputs)
