“Matter of great pride”: Rajeev Shukla hails India’s Asian Games gold win over Pakistan

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 3 (ANI): Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla on Saturday hailed India’s Asian Games cricket gold medal win over Pakistan as a matter of great pride, praising the players for adapting to unfamiliar wicket conditions in Japan and delivering a strong performance. 
He said the victory reflects the continued growth of Indian cricket under the BCCI, while highlighting the team’s recent successes. 
India have now won 83 medals - 20 gold, 26 silver and 37 bronze - at the Asian Games 2026 so far.
Shukla also praised India’s growing pool of players, saying the depth allows different squads to compete in multiple series and provides opportunities for more players while maintaining a winning run.
Following the women’s team’s triumph, India’s men also defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the gold medal clash at the ongoing Asian Games on Saturday, with stellar performances from Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Axar Patel powering the team to victory.
"This is a matter of great pride that today we won the gold medal in cricket in the Asian Games by defeating Pakistan, and our players performed very well. If we look at the wicket conditions there, our players were not that familiar with the wicket there. Despite this, they performed very well and reached the final and by defeating Pakistan in the final, we got the gold medal in cricket in the Asian Games once again, so cricket is growing everywhere under the efforts of the BCCI. We have already won the Asia Cup, we have won in the Asian Games too, we have taken the World Cup too, so India's cricket is continuously growing," Shukla told ANI on Saturday in Meerut. 
"One special thing to see in this is that our India vs West Indies series is going on, so different players are playing for there, and different players are playing there in T20, in one-day and T20, so our players' bank has increased so much that through this we can give opportunities to all the players and there is victory everywhere, this is the most pleasant thing," he added. 
Chasing a massive target of 212, Pakistan’s Hasan Nawaz stood out as a lone warrior, smashing 96 off just 51 balls. However, India’s bowlers kept the pressure on, with Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube claiming two wickets each. 
Earlier, India posted a commanding 211/6 in 20 overs in the men’s cricket final of the 2026 Asian Games in Nisshin on Saturday. Opener Abhishek Sharma provided a blazing start with 61 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 22 balls and Shivam Dube contributed a quick 27 off 14 balls, powering India past the 200-run mark. (ANI)