In the men’s cricket competition at the 19th Asian Games, which are taking place in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, the India Cricket Team took home the gold medal. India, under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, qualified for the summit match by defeating Bangladesh in the semifinal and Nepal in the quarterfinal.
In the final, the Men in Blue got off to a great start as well, striking early blows against Afghanistan, leaving them on 12/3 after 3.2 overs. Mohammad Shahzad (4 off 6) and Zubaid Akbari (5 off 8) were both eliminated by Shivam Dube and Arshdeep Singh, respectively, to send both of the openers back to the pavilion. Afghanistan’s suffering continued as Ravi Bishnoi and Shahbaz Ahmed reduced them to 52/5 after 10.5 overs.
Shahidullah Kamal (49* off 43) and captain Gulbadin Naib (27* off 24) joined forces for a 60-run stand off 45 balls to bring their team’s innings back under control. At the end of 18.2 overs, Afghanistan were 112/5 when play was halted at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou.
In spite of the final being a washout, how did India win the gold medal?
There was no more play after the weather delay, and India was declared the gold medal winner because of their superior seeding in the competition. India holds the number one spot in the ICC T20I team rankings with 264 ratings. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is ranked eighth with 216 ratings.
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