BCCI president Mithun Manhas has said Pakistan no longer offers India much competition in cricket, despite the arch-rivals pushing India in a closely contested Asian Games 2026 final. India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs at the Korakuen Stadium in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday to win the men’s cricket gold medal. Reflecting on the victory, Manhas praised India’s ability to handle pressure but questioned the level of competition offered by Pakistan in recent years. “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,” he said after the final.

Manhas also described India as the best team in the Asian Games cricket tournament and said the side had performed like defending champions. India remained unbeaten through the competition and finished with the gold medal after overcoming Pakistan in the final. “By far the best team of the tournament. We are the defending champions, and the performance they have shown this time is commendable,” Manhas said. His comments came after what was one of the more closely fought India-Pakistan encounters in recent years, with Pakistan remaining in contention for a significant part of the chase before India’s bowlers successfully defended their total.

India’s batting effort was led by Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who both scored half-centuries in the final. After winning the toss and opting to bat, India posted 211, the first total above 200 in the tournament. Abhishek provided the early momentum with a 28-ball 61, while Tilak contributed 51 from 22 deliveries. India lost some wickets and momentum during the middle overs, but Tilak and Shivam Dube added 62 runs from 30 balls for the sixth wicket to give the team a strong finish. Manhas praised the contribution of both batters and said the openers had played an important role in setting up India’s innings.

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“This is a team sport. Tilak Varma batted brilliantly, and Abhishek Sharma set the tone. The job of openers is to build the innings, and the middle order finishes it. So, the openers basically set the tone,” Manhas said. He also credited India’s overall batting performance and the collective effort with the ball. “Team India's batting has been tremendous, and as for the bowling, I would say everyone contributed together to defend a good total,” he added. The comments came after India successfully defended what appeared to be a challenging but chaseable total against a Pakistan side that produced a strong response during the second innings.

Pakistan were given a major boost by Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 from 51 balls and kept the chase alive deep into the innings. Despite his aggressive knock, Pakistan finished on 182/6 after 20 overs, falling 19 runs short of India’s target. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar were India’s leading wicket-takers, claiming two wickets each. Jasprit Bumrah did not take a wicket but played an important role during the tense stages of the chase, with his overs helping India prevent Pakistan from reaching the required scoring rate. The bowling unit ultimately managed to contain Pakistan despite the pressure created by Hasan’s innings.

The victory gave India another Asian Games cricket gold medal and completed their campaign with the defending champions once again finishing on top. While Manhas’ remarks highlighted his view that Pakistan no longer represents the same level of competition for India, the final itself provided a much tighter contest than the statement might suggest, with Pakistan reaching 182/6 and remaining within reach for much of the chase. India ultimately held their nerve in the decisive moments, with contributions from both their batting and bowling units securing a 19-run victory and the gold medal.

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