Shreyas Iyer 'ecstatic' after victory over Pakistan

Shreyas Iyer expressed his excitement following India's gold-medal victory at the Asian Games men's competition after defeating Pakistan by 19 runs on October 3, 2026. This win marked back-to-back Asian Games gold medals for the Indian men, mirroring the achievement of their women counterparts who secured gold just weeks earlier.

"Ecstatic," Iyer stated when reflecting on his feelings about the victory. He noted that the challenges faced due to constant rain in Japan prior to the games were significant, mentioning that the team could not practice for nearly a week. However, Iyer commended his teammates for their resilience and determination, indicating that their training continued despite the adverse weather conditions. "We didn’t complain, we didn’t give any reasons, so that was the sign of a champion team, and today was just the reflection of that," he said.

Iyer emphasized that the adverse weather affected all four semi-finalist teams equally, but India had a slight advantage after playing a T20I match against Japan under challenging conditions.

In the final, India batted first and posted a total of 211 runs for 6 wickets, which Iyer considered a solid score given the conditions. Pakistan's chase started poorly, with the team struggling at 76 runs for 3 wickets after ten overs. A commendable performance by Hasan Nawaz, who scored 96 runs from 51 balls, briefly brought Pakistan back into contention.

Iyer discussed the strategy used by the Indian bowlers and stated, "I basically paced their fifth and sixth bowlers' overs pretty well." He also credited his teammates' performances, with key contributions from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who scored quick half-centuries, and Shivam Dube who added a quick 27 runs.

The Indian bowlers also made significant contributions, with Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Dube taking two wickets each. Iyer praised the collective effort of the team, saying, "When you’re playing a final, you want each and every individual to step up and deliver, and that’s what we witnessed today. Collective effort and overall, I would say comprehensive win."