Pakistan showed greasy palms and bowled far too many boundary-hitting deliveries as India posted their highest T20I total against them before completing a 19-run victory in the gold-medal match of the 20th Asian Games on Saturday.

India successfully defended their title, while Pakistan had to settle for silver — their first medal in the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games. The victory was India’s seventh successive T20I win over Pakistan since the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Melbourne.

Pakistan dropped five catches and missed a run-out opportunity, while their bowling attack, featuring five spin options, conceded 13 fours and 15 sixes — 142 runs in boundaries — on a surface offering variable bounce.

India capitalised on Pakistan’s generosity to post 211 for six after electing to bat first. It was the first time India had crossed 200 against Pakistan in T20Is, surpassing their previous highest of 192 for five in Ahmedabad in 2012.

India then demonstrated the value of sharper catching, fielding and disciplined bowling on the same surface, restricting Pakistan to 39 for two in the PowerPlay. Pakistan recovered to 76 for three at the halfway stage but eventually finished at 192 for six after requiring 52 from the final three overs and an improbable 33 from the last.

Hasan Nawaz fought a lone battle, hammering five fours and seven sixes in a 51-ball 96 before being dismissed from the final delivery of the match. His third T20I half-century in 27 matches came from 28 balls and included five sixes.

Hasan added 87 runs from 48 balls for the fourth wicket with Saim Ayub, who contributed 28.

Axar Patel and Washington Sundar conceded only 58 runs between them while collecting four wickets from their combined eight overs. Shivam Dube claimed two for 33 from three overs.

Saim Ayub dropped Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer within three deliveries off Sufyan Moqim in the fifth over. Wicketkeeper Usman Khan and bowler Abrar Ahmed then put down Sharma off successive deliveries in the seventh over, while Sufyan dropped Tilak Varma at short fine-leg from the final ball of the innings.

Pakistan also squandered a run-out opportunity in Ahmed Daniyal’s opening over when Iyer appeared stranded, but the bowler’s throw on his follow-through missed the stumps.

Abhishek smashed 61 from 28 balls with three fours and seven sixes, while Tilak hammered an unbeaten 51 from 22 balls with three fours and four sixes. Dube contributed 27 from 15 balls, including two fours and two sixes.

Iyer (21), Ishan Kishan (20) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (15), who was smartly caught by Usman Khan, also contributed.

India raced to 81 for two in the PowerPlay and reached 114 for three after 10 overs. Pakistan briefly pulled things back as India managed only 28 runs in the next six overs, but the innings exploded again at the death.

India plundered 69 from the final four overs — 12 from the 17th, 18 from the 18th, 23 from the 19th and 16 from the final over.

Of Pakistan’s five spin options, Abrar and Arafat Minhas were the most effective, conceding 54 runs from their combined seven overs while taking three wickets. The remaining 13 overs cost 157 runs, including Ahmed Daniyal’s two for 43 from three overs.

Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan’s handling of his bowling resources also came under scrutiny.

After Saim bowled the opening over, Farhan handed the second to debutant Saad Masood, whose attempts to bowl wrong’uns were punished for three sixes. Daniyal, Pakistan’s frontline fast bowler, was not introduced until the fourth over.

Arafat and Sufyan, meanwhile, bowled only three overs apiece, while Daniyal was given the final over, which cost 16 runs.

Earlier, Sri Lanka recovered spectacularly to defeat Bangladesh by 63 runs and claim the bronze medal.

Sri Lanka were struggling at 63 for five after 13 overs before plundering 98 from the final seven to reach 165 for nine.

No.7 batter Tharindu Ratnayake transformed the innings with a brutal 32-ball 65 containing seven fours and five sixes. Captain Sahan Arachchige contributed 33 from 37 balls, while Ashen Bandara made 18 from 24.

Sri Lanka had crawled to 29 for four in the PowerPlay before their remarkable recovery. Bangladesh found themselves in a similar position at 30 for four after six overs but were unable to respond, eventually being dismissed for 102 in 17.3 overs.

Ratnayake completed an excellent all-round performance by taking two wickets and was one of four Sri Lanka bowlers to finish with a brace.

Scores in brief

Gold-medal match – India beat Pakistan by 19 runs

India 211-6, 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 61, Tilak Varma 51 not out, Shivam Dube 27, Shreyas Iyer 21, Ishan Kishan 20; Arafat Minhas 2-25, Ahmed Daniyal 2-43)

Pakistan 192-6, 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 96, Saim Ayub 28, Maaz Sadaqat 23; Axar Patel 2-29, Washington Sundar 2-29, Shivam Dube 2-33)

Bronze-medal match – Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 63 runs

Sri Lanka 165-9, 20 overs (Tharindu Ratnayake 65, Sahan Arachchige 33; Mahedi Hasan 2-19, Saif Hassan 2-28, Mustafizur Rahman 2-43)

Bangladesh 102 all out, 17.3 overs (Nasum Ahmed 26, Yasir Ali 21, Parvez Hossain Emon 20; Wanuja Sahan 2-17, Nuwan Thushara 2-18, Tharindu Ratnayake 2-18, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 2-26)