India’s men won the Asian Games cricket title under captain Shreyas Iyer. The victory reflected both the depth of the available squad and a decision to field a strong team, with interim head coach V.V.S. Laxman guiding the campaign.
The men’s gold completed a successful cricket tournament for India, whose women’s side had earlier taken the title under Harmanpreet Kaur. The men faced particular scrutiny as overwhelming favourites, while four other participating Test-playing nations brought experimental rather than full-strength squads.
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou three years earlier, India won gold with a second-string side because the event overlapped with the home 50-over World Cup. This time, India were also playing a one-day series against West Indies, yet selectors sent a strong squad. The Hindu notes that leading bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel were among those missing.
India’s superiority was especially clear in the semifinal against Sri Lanka. Ishan Kishan made an unbeaten 80, nearly twice the opposition’s entire total. In the final against Pakistan, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 from just 22 deliveries pushed India beyond 200. Pakistan fought hard but could not catch the target.
Short T20 matches can create upsets, as shown by India’s narrow two-run win over Japan in a five-over game last month. Several Asian Games pitches also favoured bowlers and narrowed the gap between teams. The final, however, was played on a better surface and produced more than 400 runs in total.
The Hindu credits much of the campaign to Laxman, who has now overseen India’s second consecutive Asian Games gold. The article describes his coaching approach as grounded in stability, clear roles and communication. That environment helped Iyer as he returned to the T20 set-up after early series defeats to Ireland and England, followed by a clean sweep against Afghanistan.
The medal also served as a bridge to India’s next assignments. Kishan continued his strong return, while 23-year-old Varma showed further growth as a batter and leader. A five-match T20 series against West Indies is due to begin in Lucknow on Tuesday. India will carry confidence from Japan, though the article cautions that the Asian Games result alone cannot guarantee success in the next challenge.