AICHI-NAGOYA, Oct. 3
Abhishek Sharma delivered a record-breaking performance against Pakistan in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final, smashing 126 off just 46 balls as India successfully chased 209 to win the gold medal in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Indian opener struck 11 fours and 10 sixes during a spectacular innings that helped India reach 209 for four in 16.2 overs, completing the chase with 22 balls remaining.
Pakistan had earlier posted 208 for six from their 20 overs after India won the toss and elected to field.
Abhishek’s innings went beyond securing India the Asian Games title. The left-hander broke several major T20 batting records during a performance that reinforced his reputation as one of the most destructive players in the shortest format.
His 126 was the highest individual score by an Indian against Pakistan in T20 cricket, surpassing Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne.
Abhishek also overtook Chris Gayle for the highest individual T20 score against Pakistan. Gayle had previously made 117 for the West Indies against Pakistan in 2009.
The Indian opener reached his century from just 32 deliveries, producing one of the fastest T20 hundreds by an Indian.
His assault was particularly significant given the occasion, with India chasing a target above 200 in an Asian Games gold-medal contest against Pakistan.
Abhishek attacked from the beginning rather than allowing the required run rate to build pressure.
His 10 sixes also carried him past another significant milestone.
The innings took Abhishek beyond Yuvraj Singh’s tally of T20 sixes for India, while also allowing him to equal one of his own major six-hitting records.
Yuvraj, one of India’s most celebrated white-ball hitters, had finished his international T20 career with 74 sixes.
Abhishek’s rise has been particularly notable because Yuvraj has played an important mentoring role in his development.
The 26-year-old has emerged as one of India’s most aggressive top-order batters, combining a high strike rate with the ability to clear the boundary consistently against both pace and spin.
The Asian Games final provided one of the clearest demonstrations of those qualities.
Chasing 209 in a high-pressure final, India needed to score at more than 10 runs an over from the outset.
Abhishek transformed that demanding equation into a manageable chase through sustained boundary hitting.
Pakistan’s bowlers struggled to contain him as he repeatedly attacked both sides of the wicket.
By the time his innings ended, India had taken firm control of the chase.
His century also placed him alongside some of India’s most prolific T20 century-makers.
Abhishek now has six T20 hundreds, matching Yuvraj Singh’s career tally in the format.
The performance came after Pakistan had built what appeared to be a competitive total.
India’s bowlers were unable to prevent their opponents from crossing 200, leaving the batting unit with a substantial target in a gold-medal match.
Abhishek ensured that the required rate never became overwhelming.
His 126 accounted for more than 60 per cent of the runs India needed for victory and came at a strike rate of nearly 274.
The result gave India the men’s cricket gold medal and added another title to the country’s campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
It also delivered another chapter to the India-Pakistan sporting rivalry, this time with an Asian Games title at stake.
For Abhishek, however, the final became a career-defining statistical performance.
On a single day, he surpassed Kohli for the highest T20 score by an Indian against Pakistan, went past Gayle’s overall record against Pakistan, overtook Yuvraj in an important six-hitting milestone and matched his mentor’s tally of T20 centuries.
Records can provide the statistical measure of an innings, but the context made this one particularly significant.
India were chasing 209 against Pakistan in an Asian Games final. Abhishek responded with 126 from 46 balls and helped finish the chase with more than three overs to spare.
The result gave India the gold medal. The innings gave Abhishek Sharma one of the standout performances of the 2026 Asian Games.
