Hasan Nawaz 96 vs India: Asian Games Final Records Explained
Hasan Nawaz hit 96 off 51 balls in the Asian Games final, but India beat Pakistan by 19 runs. Full scorecard, records broken and the no-handshake drama.
Jay Chotaliya
Author & Contributor
Hasan Nawaz became the most searched name in India after his 96 off 51 balls nearly won Pakistan the Asian Games 2026 cricket final. India still won by 19 runs. In the end, India's 211/6 was too much, Pakistan finished on 192/6, and Nawaz was out on the very last ball. Here is everything about the Hasan Nawaz innings, the final, the records and the off-field drama.
Key Takeaways
- India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games men's T20 final on October 3, 2026 to win gold.
- Hasan Nawaz scored 96 off 51 balls (5 fours, 7 sixes), the highest score by any batter in an India vs Pakistan T20I.
- Abhishek Sharma (61 off 28) and Tilak Varma (51* off 22) powered India to 211/6.
- There were no handshakes, and the medal ceremony was delayed.
Who Is Hasan Nawaz? The Pakistan Batter Everyone Is Searching For
Hasan Nawaz is a hard-hitting Pakistani batter who usually bats in the middle order. Before the final, he had scored 580 T20I runs in 27 matches at a strike rate of about 157, with three fifties. Across all T20 cricket, he had 2,567 runs from 107 matches, including two hundreds (Source: NewsBytes).
Many Indian fans had not watched him closely before Saturday. After a 2-million-plus spike in Google searches, that has changed.
Hasan Nawaz 96 off 51: How the Innings Unfolded
Pakistan were chasing 212, and the match looked to be slipping away when Nawaz came in. He reached his fifty in just 28 balls and kept attacking India's bowlers, hitting seven sixes and five fours. With Pakistan needing big hits in the last over, he kept swinging. He was finally out on the last ball of the match, four runs short of a hundred (Source: Al Jazeera).
Very little support came from the other end. Saim Ayub made 29 off 22 and Maaz Sadaqat 23, but captain Sahibzada Farhan (10), Usman Khan (3) and Abdul Samad (9) fell cheaply. That is why names like Saim Ayub, Usman Khan and Abdul Samad also trended (Source: The Sunday Guardian).
Records Broken by Hasan Nawaz
- Highest score in India vs Pakistan T20Is: 96 beats Virat Kohli's famous 82* from the 2022 T20 World Cup.
- Joint-most sixes by a Pakistani in a T20I innings: seven.
- Second-highest T20I score by a Pakistani batting at No. 4 or lower: only Mohammad Hafeez's 99* against New Zealand in 2020 is higher.
(Source: NewsBytes)
India vs Pakistan Asian Games Final: Full Score Summary
| Team | Score | Top performers |
|---|---|---|
| India | 211/6 (20 overs) | Abhishek Sharma 61 (28), Tilak Varma 51* (22), Shivam Dube 27 (15) |
| Pakistan | 192/6 (20 overs) | Hasan Nawaz 96 (51), Saim Ayub 29 (22), Maaz Sadaqat 23 |
| Result: India won by 19 runs and took the gold medal | ||
India won the toss and batted. Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hit two sixes in a quick 15. Then Abhishek Sharma took over with seven sixes in his 61 off 28 balls. India slowed in the middle overs, but Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 off 22 and Shivam Dube's 27 off 15 pushed them past 200. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 21 and Ishan Kishan 20 (Source: The Statesman).
With the ball, Washington Sundar took 2/29 and Shivam Dube 2/33. That kept Pakistan's other batters quiet while Nawaz fought on alone.
Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma: The Knocks That Won Gold
Hasan Nawaz is the one everyone is searching for, but India won the final because of two left-handers. Abhishek Sharma faced only 28 balls and hit seven sixes. That set a fast pace early and put Pakistan's bowlers on the back foot from the powerplay.
India then lost momentum in the middle overs, which is often where big T20 totals fall apart. Tilak Varma made sure it didn't, with an unbeaten 51 off 22 balls that added the late runs. Shivam Dube's 27 off 15 helped too. Without those final overs, India would probably have finished closer to 180, and Nawaz's 96 might have been enough.
In the end, the gap was 19 runs, about the same as the extra India scored at the death.
India vs Pakistan in T20s: India's Winning Streak
This was India's seventh T20 win in a row over Pakistan (Source: Al Jazeera). The two teams now meet only in multi-team events like the Asia Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Asian Games, so every game draws huge interest on both sides of the border. That is why the final caused such a big spike in searches, including Hindi searches like "भारत बनाम पाकिस्तान", and why one great innings in a losing cause can make a player famous overnight.
India's Big Day at Asian Games 2026
The cricket gold was one of several wins for India on October 3. The men's hockey team beat Malaysia 5-1 to defend its title and qualify directly for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and Aman Sehrawat won wrestling gold at 57kg. By the end of the day, ESPN counted 85 medals for India, including 21 golds, with the Games closing on October 4.
No Handshakes and a Delayed Medal Ceremony
As in recent India vs Pakistan games, the captains did not shake hands. Al Jazeera reported that this was the fifth men's match in a row between the two sides without handshakes.
The medal ceremony was also delayed. ICC chairman Jay Shah presented medals only to the Indian players, while Pakistan (silver) and Sri Lanka (bronze) got theirs from Asian Games officials. No official reason was given for this (Source: Al Jazeera).
What This Win Means for India
The win completes a cricket double for India at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, with the women's team led by Harmanpreet Kaur also winning gold. It was also India's seventh T20 win in a row over Pakistan. With the men's hockey team also winning gold on the same day, October 3 turned into one of India's best days of the Games.
For Pakistan, the loss still had a bright spot: Hasan Nawaz showed he can take on a world-class attack under pressure. Expect him to be a key part of Pakistan's T20 side in the months ahead.
FAQ
How much did Hasan Nawaz score in the Asian Games final?
He scored 96 off 51 balls, with 5 fours and 7 sixes, before being dismissed on the last ball.
Who won the India vs Pakistan Asian Games 2026 final?
India won by 19 runs. India scored 211/6 and Pakistan replied with 192/6.
Is 96 the highest score in India vs Pakistan T20Is?
Yes. It is now the highest individual score in India vs Pakistan T20Is, ahead of Virat Kohli's 82*.
Who was India's captain in the final?
Shreyas Iyer led India. Sahibzada Farhan captained Pakistan.
Who won bronze in Asian Games cricket 2026?
Sri Lanka won the bronze medal in the men's event.
Final Word
India took the gold, but Hasan Nawaz is the reason this final will be remembered. A record 96 in a losing cause turned him from a little-known name into the most searched cricketer in India overnight. For more trending stories every day, keep reading PostNest. Have a cricket opinion? Write a guest post on PostNest and share it with thousands of readers.
