India cricket captain Ruturaj Gaikwad spoke to reporters after India was awarded gold in the men’s cricket at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. The rain-hit T20 final against Afghanistan was decided based on India’s superior global ranking. Afghanistan, ranked 10th in the ICC’s T20 rankings, had to settle for silver as rain halted the match when they were 112 for five after 18.2 overs. Since India couldn’t bat the required five overs, play was abandoned, and India celebrated victory by default. Gaikwad expressed his pride in winning the medal but also mentioned his disappointment with the rain. He acknowledged that they couldn’t control the weather and emphasized their desire for a full game. The decision to determine the winner based on rankings is uncommon in cricket, especially for major tournament finals. Most tournaments have spare days or tie-breaking criteria to decide the winner. The rankings rule also benefited India’s women’s team, who received a free pass to the semi-finals due to rain. This was Afghanistan’s third silver in three Asian Games tournaments. Cricket was excluded from the 2018 Games. Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib expressed his disappointment with the rain and believed his team deserved to win. The men’s cricket matches coincided with the 50-over World Cup in India, adding pressure to India’s second-string squad. Despite the challenges, Gaikwad acknowledged the expectations and pressure of being an Indian captain. In the bronze playoff, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan in a thrilling match. Rakibul Hasan’s last-ball four secured the win for Bangladesh as they chased down 65 runs in five overs. Pakistan had a strong start, but Yasir Ali’s slogging spree brought Bangladesh close to victory. Needing 20 runs in the last over, Yasir smashed 16 of them before being bowled. Rakibal then hit the winning boundary on the last ball. Bangladesh skipper Saif Hassan praised Yasir’s performance and expressed confidence in their ability to chase the target.