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Team India clinched the gold medal at the Asian Games after the final against Afghanistan was called off due to rain at Hangzhou, China, on Saturday (October 7).
The Men in Blue were crowned winners on the basis of higher seeding (ranking) because of persistent rain, with Afghanistan at 112/5 after 18.2 overs.
With the win, India won gold in both men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the Asian Games. The Women in Blue defeated Sri Lanka Women by 19 runs in the final last month.
For the uninitiated, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side first beat Nepal by 23 runs in the quarterfinals before registering a nine-wicket win in the semifinals. Afghanistan, which settled for silver, beat Sri Lanka and Afghanistan by eight runs and four wickets in the quarterfinals and the semifinals, respectively.
One of the highlights for Team India in the T20 tournament includes Yashasvi Jaiswal’s century against Nepal in the quarterfinals. The left-handed batter smashed 100 off 49 balls, including seven sixes and eight boundaries.
In the same game, Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi starred with the ball, picking up three wickets apiece, while Arshdeep Singh took two wickets.
In the semifinals, Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar took three and two wickets, respectively, as India bundled out Bangladesh for just 96. Later, Tilak Varma smashed 55 of 26 balls, while captain Gaikwad slammed 40 off 26 deliveries.
Fans on X (formerly known as Twitter) lauded India for their gold at the Asian Games. One user wrote:
"Chore ho ya chori, gold to humare pass hi avega ji. (Whether its boys or girls, the gold will always be with us.)"
Here are some more reactions:
What happened in the 2023 Asian Games final?
In the Asian Games final, India started off on a high note after opting to bowl. They reduced Afghanistan to 12/3. Shahidullah Kamal (49 off 43) and captain Gulbadin Naib (27 off 24) took the team to 112/5 to recover them from 52/5 before rain halted play.
Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Ravi Bishnoi took one wicket apiece for India.
