Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Tilak Varma, err, TTV Namboori haunted Pakistan once again as the Indian men’s cricket team defended their Asian Games gold medal. Varma, err, Namboori put up his hand once again when things got tough, handing India a 19-run win in Nagoya on Sunday, October 3.
Playing on the penultimate day at the Asian Games, India were briefly in a spot of bother on a tricky pitch in Nagoya, which stopped and turned for the majority of the match. After a berserk start from Abhishek Sharma (61 off 28), India slowly started fading away as the Pakistan spinners dominated the proceedings on the difficult track.
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But Namboori waited. Like Tilak Varma had done in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan. Nearly a year back, Varma had to dig deep against Pakistan after India’s top order was wiped out for just 20 runs in Dubai. Chasing 147 runs, it was Tilak’s late anchor innings of 69 off 53 that helped India win that game.
Things were similar, but not as bad in Nagoya on Sunday.
India had lost two early wickets in the powerplay, of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson, and Pakistan had started chirping at the Korogi Sports Park in Nishhin.
But that did not last too long. Abhishek Sharma took the Pakistan spinners to the cleaners with a blistering 61 off 28 balls and Tilak Varma provided the final flourish with an unbeaten 51 as India posted an imposing 211 for six on the tricky track.
The stylish left-hander, who had tormented Pakistan in last year’s Asia Cup also, was in his elements as he completely took the pitch out of the equation with a 20-ball half-century, completely diffusing the opposition’s spin-dominated attack.
Abhishek feasted on some friendly slow bowling, hitting sixes on both sides of the wicket with gay abandon.
Ishan Kishan (20 off 18 balls) briefly consolidated the team’s position in the company of skipper Shreyas Iyer (21 off 24) as they added 35 runs for the fourth wicket before Pakistan’s best bowler, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas (2/25 in 3 overs), sent him back.
Arafat also varied his pace cleverly as he got the rampaging Abhishek stumped, which added pressure on the defending champions.
The final flourish was provided by Tilak (51 not out off 22 balls) and Shivam Dube (27 off 15 balls), who blasted the spinners after a lull period. The duo added 62 runs in just five overs just when scoring quick seemed difficult.
Left-arm wrist spinner Sufyan Moqim was put to the sword in the death overs (18 runs), while Saim Ayub’s 19th yielded 23. In the last over, bowled by pacer Ahmed Daniyal, 16 more were scored as India hit a total of 15 sixes on a track assisting the spinners heavily.
BUMRAH UNPLAYABLE IN THE FINAL
While Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub offered resistance in the chase of 212 runs, the tone of the match was pretty much set by Jasprit Bumrah’s first two overs. Pakistan were meek against the Indian speedster, when it seemed quite clear that the opening overs were where they needed to score a bulk of their runs.
India picked up three quick wickets for 39 runs, pushing Pakistan on the back foot early in the match. All three wickets, of Sahibzada Farhan, Maas Sadaqat and Usman Khan, came as they faltered against scoreboard pressure and lost their wickets trying to hit a big shot against balls that were not theirs to hit.
Ayub and Hasan provided crucial resistance, adding 87 runs between them. Hasan completed his fifty in 28 balls and threatened to convert this final into a thriller.
Shreyas Iyer was wary of such a risk, and brought back Jasprit Bumrah in the 14th over of the match. Pakistan once again went quiet against Bumrah, hitting him for a solitary boundary in the last ball of that over.
Needing 86 from the last six overs, Pakistan had no choice but to attack every ball, which yielded a wicket in the very first ball of the next over. Shivam Dube, bowling his first delivery of the match, picked up the wicket of Ayub, who miscontrolled his scoop, straight into the hands of Washington Sundar at deep square leg.
NAWAZ PUSHES THE MATCH INTO FINAL OVER
Despite the wicket, Pakistan were able to take the match deep into the final over. Credit needs to be given to Hasan Nawaz for keeping Pakistan alive while others simply folded like a pack of cards around him.
The 24-year-old batter took 16 runs from Shivam Dube’s second over, the 17th of the match, keeping Pakistan alive in the match. But 34 runs from the final over of the match proved a little too much for the side.
Nawaz fell in the final delivery of the over – for 96 runs – which sealed Pakistan’s innings at 192/6 in 20 overs.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
