AIMIM’s Waris Pathan celebrated India’s cricket gold against Pakistan at the Asian Games 2026. India completed a golden double in cricket and a clean sweep in kabaddi and hockey, finishing with 85 medals, including 21 gold, at Aichi-Nagoya.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan on Sunday celebrated India’s gold medal-winning performance in men’s cricket at the Asian Games 2026, saying the victory over arch-rivals Pakistan had made the achievement even more special. Reacting to India’s triumph, Pathan said the victory was a moment of immense pride and joy. “It is a moment of immense joy; our hearts are swelling with pride, Chak De India! India has won the gold medal, and the gold is coming home. The atmosphere was already joyful, but the happiness is even greater when India defeats Pakistan to win,” Pathan told ANI.
India Clinches Cricket Gold Over Pakistan
India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket final to clinch the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. The men’s victory completed India’s golden double in cricket, after the women’s team had earlier defeated Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the women’s final. The men’s team was powered by contributions from Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel to secure the gold medal.
Clean Sweep in Team Sports Highlights India’s Campaign
India signed off from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 85 medals, including 21 gold, 27 silver and 37 bronze, finishing fourth in the overall medal standings. The country’s campaign was highlighted by a clean sweep of gold medals across cricket, kabaddi and hockey, with Indian teams winning all six gold medals in the men’s and women’s competitions in these three sports.
Dominance in Kabaddi
In kabaddi, the women’s team defeated Iran 37-34 in the final to successfully defend its title, while the men’s side came from behind to beat Iran 40-34.
The men’s kabaddi gold was India’s ninth in 10 editions since the sport became a men’s team event at the Asian Games in 1990. The only exception came in 2018, when India won bronze.
The women’s kabaddi team has remained dominant since the sport was introduced to the women’s programme in 2010.
Historic Hockey Double and Olympic Qualification
Hockey also produced a historic double for India. The women’s team ended a 44-year wait for an Asian Games medal by defeating China 1-0 in the final, with Lalremsiami scoring the decisive goal in the 10th minute. It was India’s first women’s hockey gold at the Asian Games since 1982.
The men’s hockey team then defeated Malaysia 5-1 in the final to successfully defend its Asian Games title. It was India’s fifth men’s hockey gold after previous victories in 1966, 1998, 2014 and 2022.
The victories also marked the first time that India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams won gold medals at the same edition of the Asian Games.
With their respective victories, both Indian hockey teams secured qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Final Medal Standings
India’s 85-medal haul was below its record 106 medals, including 28 gold, at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, but the Aichi-Nagoya campaign featured several record-breaking performances, first-time podium finishes and historic individual achievements.
China topped the overall medal standings with 341 medals, including 169 gold, followed by hosts Japan with 269 medals, including 83 gold. South Korea finished third with 150 medals, including 39 gold.
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