Archive · 2 Oct 2026
Kanitkar Urges India to Master Crucial Moments Against Pakistan
India will play Pakistan for the Asian Games cricket gold medal.
Hrishikesh Kanitkar is an assistant coach for India.
He said important moments can decide a very close match.
Kanitkar remembers hitting a winning boundary against Pakistan in 1998.
He believes India’s current players can also handle pressure.
He mentioned Virat Kohli and Tilak Varma as examples.
He said the team should ignore distractions from other sports.
The players will treat the match as a professional cricket game and focus on their individual battles.
India hopes to win gold for the second Asian Games in a row.
India assistant coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar says winning key moments will be crucial in the Asian Games final against Pakistan.
Kanitkar cited Virat Kohli and Tilak Varma as examples of Indian players performing under pressure.
He said the team must block out results and noise from other sports at the Asian Games.
Despite the India-Pakistan hype, Kanitkar said players will focus on individual batting and bowling matchups.
India is seeking a second consecutive Asian Games cricket gold medal to add to the country’s medal tally.
- Who
- India, coached by assistant coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar, will face Pakistan.
- What
- The teams will contest the Asian Games cricket gold-medal final.
- When
- The match is scheduled for the day after Kanitkar’s pre-match press conference; the article does not provide a specific date.
- Where
- The article does not clearly identify the final’s venue; Kanitkar recalled his 1998 final moment at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Stadium.
- Why
- India wants to win a second consecutive Asian Games cricket gold medal and add to the country’s medal tally.
- Match
- India versus Pakistan in the Asian Games cricket final
- India’s objective
- A second successive Asian Games gold medal
- Assistant coach
- Hrishikesh Kanitkar
- Key message
- Winning crucial moments is decisive in high-stakes matches
- Pressure approach
- India plans to shut out external noise and focus on the game
- Semifinals
- Both teams reached the final after easy semifinal wins affected by persistent rainfall
- Kanitkar’s precedent
- He hit Saqlain Mushtaq for a boundary in the 1998 Independence Cup final