The Indian Cricket Team won the gold medal in the men’s cricket event in the 19th edition of the Asian Games being held in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China. Led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, India sealed their spot in the summit clash after wins against Nepal in the quarterfinal and Bangladesh in the semi-final.
The Men in Blue started strong in the final as well as they gave early blows to Afghanistan leaving them on 12/3 after 3.2 overs. Shivam Dube got rid of Zubaid Akbari (5 off 8) while Arshdeep Singh dismissed Mohammad Shahzad (4 off 6) to send both openers back into the pavilion. Ravi Bishnoi and Shahbaz Ahmed further piled on the agony on Afghanistan leaving them on 52/5 after 10.5 overs.
With their team in disarray, Shahidullah Kamal (49* off 43) and captain Gulbadin Naib (27* off 24) got involved in a 60-run stand off 45 balls to stabilize the innings. Afghanistan were 112/5 after 18.2 overs when rain interrupted play Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field, Hangzhou.
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How did India win the gold medal despite a washout in the final?
Following the rain interruption, there was no more play possible and India were announced as the winners of the gold medal due to their higher seeding in the tournament. Notably, India rank on the top of the ICC T20I team rankings having 264 ratings to their name. On the other hand, Afghanistan rank on the tenth spot with 216 ratings and hence had to settle for a silver medal. Bangladesh won the bronze medal after beating Pakistan in the third-place play off.
As a result, India completed their double of gold medals in cricket as the Women’s team also clinched the gold earlier in the tournament. Yashasvi Jaiswal finished as the highest run scorer for India as he amassed 100 runs in two innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 188.67.
On the other hand, Ravi Bishnoi was the highest wicket-taker for the Men in Blue as he scalped five wickets from three innings at an average of 12.40 and an economy of 5.16.