Loose bowling and dropped catches leave Pakistan chasing 212 for Asian Games gold against India

India posted 211 for six against Pakistan in the Asian Games T20 final on Saturday, with Tilak Varma’s rapid half-century in the closing overs lifting them after a middle-overs slowdown.

Tilak finished on 51 off 22 balls, reaching his fifty in 21 deliveries with a quick two off Ahmed Daniyal in the final over. He struck four sixes in all, three of them off Sufyan Moqim and Daniyal. Shivam Dube added 27 off 15 balls, including three sixes in an 18th over from Saim Ayub that went for 23. India scored 74 for one in the last five overs.

India had won the toss and chosen to bat, and began with an assault. Abhishek Sharma raced to 40 off 14 balls inside five overs, hitting sixes off Saad Masood, Ayub, Daniyal and Abrar Ahmed, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit two sixes in Masood’s second over, which cost 24. India were 114 for three after ten overs, at a run rate above 11.

Pakistan pulled things back after the drinks break. Arafat Minhas bowled Ishan Kishan for 20 when the ball turned back sharply to hit the top of off stump, and captain Shreyas Iyer fell for 21 off 24 balls, caught by his Pakistan counterpart Sahibzada Farhan at extra cover off Abrar. The run rate dipped below ten for the first time since the second over, and India added only 40 runs for two wickets in seven overs.

Pakistan also let chances slip. Two fielders put down skied catches off Abhishek and Iyer in the early overs, and Pakistan’s bowlers erred in length against the batters, with several long-hops punished.

Daniyal, Pakistan’s only frontline seamer, finished with two wickets, having earlier dismissed Sanju Samson, caught at mid-on off a short ball. He also had Dube caught at deep midwicket by Maaz Sadaqat off a slower bouncer, but conceded 43 runs in three overs. Minhas ended with two wickets, and Ayub and Abrar one each.

Pakistan made one change, bringing in Masood for Mohammad Wasim Jnr, while India fielded the side that beat Sri Lanka in the semi-final. There was no handshake between the captains, as far as could be seen on television.

India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Jasprit Bumrah.

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (capt), Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan (wk), Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Saad Masood, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Moqim.