India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs to retain the men’s cricket gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games, but one of cricket’s most closely watched rivalries again unfolded without handshakes between the two teams.
The customary interaction was absent at both ends of the contest in Japan. The captains did not shake hands around the toss, while the teams also went their separate ways following India’s victory, extending a pattern that has accompanied recent meetings between the sides.
No handshakes but no major flashpoint
Unlike the trophy controversies that followed recent Asia Cup competitions, the Asian Games final passed without a major confrontation away from the cricket.
After the match, the Indian players headed towards their dressing room without approaching Pakistan. The Pakistan players subsequently shook hands with the umpires before leaving without interacting with their Indian counterparts. There were no heated exchanges between the teams during the game.
Attention then moved to a medal presentation carrying additional significance after India’s experiences at the men’s and women’s Asia Cups.
India won the men’s Asia Cup in 2025 but did not receive the trophy during the presentation ceremony after declining to accept it from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister. A similar situation followed the women’s Asia Cup this year, when India again did not take part in a trophy presentation involving Naqvi.
There was no repeat at the Asian Games. ICC Chairman and former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah presented India with its gold medals, while an Asian Games official awarded Pakistan its silver medals. Sri Lanka, which defeated Bangladesh in the third-place playoff, collected bronze.
Naqvi was not present for the men’s final. The only awkward moment during the post-match proceedings came around the group photograph, when Pakistan and Sri Lanka initially stepped down from the podium before the three medal-winning teams eventually assembled for the picture.
India and Pakistan shake hands in hockey and volleyball as cricket takes different path
The absence of handshakes between India and Pakistan’s cricketers stood in contrast to the interactions between the two countries in other sports at the Asian Games. In both hockey and volleyball, players exchanged gestures of sportsmanship around fiercely contested matches.
Before their hockey semi-final, Indian and Pakistani players high-fived each other while the two captains shook hands ahead of the start. The contest itself was closely fought, with India building a 3-0 advantage before Pakistan recovered to make it 3-3. India eventually secured a 4-3 victory after Abhishek Nain’s late effort took a deflection off Sufiyan Khan’s stick and went into the net with 49.2 seconds remaining.
There was a similarly cordial atmosphere surrounding the teams’ volleyball quarter-final. India and Pakistan exchanged pins and greetings before the match, before Pakistan went on to claim a 3-0 victory. Afterward, Pakistani players were seen consoling their Indian counterparts, including interactions between Musaweer Khan, Murad Khan, Abu Bakar Siddique and India’s Amit Balwan Singh.
BCCI President backs India after Pakistan win
The final itself provided Pakistan with opportunities to pressure the defending champions, but India ultimately protected a total of 211/6 by restricting its opponent to 192/6.
Assessing the successful title defence, BCCI President Mithun Manhas told reporters after the Asian Games men’s cricket gold-medal match: “By far the best team of the tournament. We are the defending champions, and the performance they have shown this time is commendable.”
Manhas also offered a pointed assessment of the competitive balance between the rivals. He said: “They defeated arch-rivals Pakistan, who I feel don’t offer much competition anymore, and the way our team handled pressure situations… no other team in the world can do that.”
Abhishek Sharma struck 61 from 28 deliveries, while Tilak Varma finished unbeaten on 51 from 22. Shreyas Iyer contributed 21 and Shivam Dube made an unbeaten 27 as India crossed 200, with Dube and Varma adding 62 for the sixth wicket.
Manhas added: “This is a team sport. Tilak Varma batted brilliantly, and Abhishek Sharma set the tone for the game. The job of openers is to build the innings, and the middle order finishes it. So, the openers basically set the tone. Team India’s batting has been tremendous, and as for the bowling, I would say everyone contributed together to defend a good total.”
Pakistan recovered from 39/3 through Hasan Nawaz, whose 96 from 51 balls kept the chase alive. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar played important roles with the ball, while Dube and Sundar took two wickets apiece as Pakistan finished 19 runs short.
Saikia points to India’s white-ball depth
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia told ANI after the victory: “Very wonderful. India has now become a superpower in world white-ball cricket. We are winning every tournament. I think at the same time, our team played in ODIs against the West Indies, and today, here in the Asian Games as well. This shows how strong our reserve bench is right now in white-ball cricket.”
India’s men were competing at the Asian Games while another national side was involved in an ODI series against West Indies, giving the BCCI two separate international assignments at the same time.
Saikia added: “All the players deserve full credit, and all the support staff deserve full credit for the victory. It has made the whole country very proud.”
The men’s success also completed a cricket double for India at the Games. The women’s team had already retained its Asian Games crown after defeating Sri Lanka by 147 runs in its gold-medal match.
Manhas credits Shah and looks beyond Asian Games triumph
Manhas also addressed the development of the Indian setup under previous BCCI leadership. He stated: “I would like to thank Jay Shah once again. He was the then BCCI secretary and his contribution has been significant in building this team. Not just the men’s team, our women’s team has also won the World Cup. His contribution has been immense. So, a special thanks to him too.”
India currently holds major titles across senior and age-group cricket, including the men’s ICC Champions Trophy and T20 World Cup, as well as the women’s World Cup. Its age-group honours include the ICC U19 World Cup and ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup.
Manhas continued: “This victory, I believe, should be dedicated to the crores of fans who pray for the Indian team, and especially to those soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country.”
Manhas also spoke about cricket’s place at the Asian Games. He noted: “Different teams from around the world are participating, every country is getting involved in cricket, and it’s a very good thing that cricket is becoming global.”
