Shreyas Iyer says Asian Games gold shows team's champion mindset
India captain Shreyas Iyer said on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that his side's refusal to complain about disrupted preparations reflected a "champion team" mindset after India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to claim the Asian Games gold medal in Japan.
India's build-up to the Asian Games was hampered by persistent rain; the squad arrived in Japan on September 20, played a five-over game on September 22 in Sano before travelling to Nagoya, and did not have a proper training session until ahead of the semifinal against Sri Lanka on October 1. The quarterfinal against Afghanistan on September 28 was abandoned because of rain.
Reflecting on the lead-up, Iyer said: "If have to use a word, I would say ecstatic. Since the day we arrived in Japan, it was raining cats and dogs and we couldn't practise for almost a week. But the boys, the way they prepped themselves and also we were doing our training on the side. We didn’t complain, we didn’t give any reason," and added, "So that was a sign of a champion itself, champion team. And today was just a reflection of that."
Iyer pointed to collective contributions in the final as decisive, 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. "Abhishek giving us that start and then Tilak basically finishing off the innings. And then in bowling, Washington taking that charge, Axar being himself all the time and Bumrah, we know what he has got in his summary," said Iyer.
Addressing Pakistan's late momentum through Hasan Nawaz, Iyer described his bowling management: "Well, they were cruising pretty well and they got that momentum in between. I just wanted to see that I get that fifth (bowlers) over as soon as possible, finish it off, and then Bumrah was there, Washi was there, the lead bowlers, they wanted to come in as well. "So I basically paced their overs pretty well. That's what I felt. And especially when the run rate is about 13 to 14, we know that the batsmen, they are going to take charge, and one wicket is going to change the momentum, shift the momentum towards us. So that's what happened," he added.
India posted 211 for six in the final before restricting Pakistan to 192 for six, sealing a 19-run victory and the Asian Games gold medal on October 3, 2026.
