Varma’s unbeaten 69 guides India to a five–pakistan-asia-cup-super-fours/” title=”Thrilling Victory: India Defeats … by Six … in Asia Cup Super Fours!”>wicket victory over Pakistan in a tense Asia Cup 2025 finale in Dubai after early setbacks.
In a nail-biting and contentious climax to the Asia Cup 2025 held in Dubai, Tilak Varma showcased remarkable composure with an unbeaten 69, leading India to a five-wicket triumph against Pakistan.
India found themselves in early trouble, losing two wickets for just 10 runs within the third over. Yet, Varma’s steady presence at the crease, despite wickets tumbling at the other end, anchored India’s pursuit of 147 runs in this politically charged final. The match was further overshadowed by India’s refusal to accept the trophy from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister and PCB Chairman.
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This final marked the third encounter between India and Pakistan in the tournament, and once again, controversy marred the event. The post-match award ceremony was delayed by over an hour without clear explanation, as players and officials remained on the field.
When the ceremony finally commenced, presenter Simon Doull disclosed that the Indian squad had declined to participate in the trophy presentation and refused to receive their winner’s medals from Naqvi.
According to the Press Trust of India, “The Indian team declined to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan’s minister and ACC head Mohsin Naqvi.”
Nonetheless, Varma, along with top scorer Abhishek Sharma and bowler Kuldeep Yadav, approached the stage to collect their prize money, carefully avoiding interaction with Naqvi.
Shortly after, captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates celebrated with an improvised trophy, jubilantly marking India’s ninth Asia Cup championship.
Varma’s composed knock, spanning 53 deliveries and featuring four sixes and three boundaries, was the cornerstone of India’s successful chase.
The innings began on a shaky note when India’s leading run-scorer of the tournament, Abhishek Sharma, was dismissed cheaply for five runs by Pakistan’s medium pacer Faheem Ashraf on the very first ball of the second over. Sharma’s attempt to clear the boundary was mistimed, resulting in a catch at mid-on.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav soon followed, falling for a solitary run to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who induced a straightforward catch at mid-off by Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha.
Varma then joined forces with opener Shubman Gill to stabilize the innings, but Gill was dismissed nine balls later by Ashraf. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson contributed a brisk 24 off 21 before leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed claimed his wicket.
Shivam Dube, who had earlier taken on the unexpected role of opening the bowling in the absence of Hardik Pandya, played a crucial supporting role alongside Varma during the chase.
Despite disciplined bowling from Pakistan, their fielding lapses proved costly. Two catches were dropped, and a vital run-out opportunity was squandered when wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris was slow to dislodge the bails as Varma dived to complete the run.
Capitalizing on these errors, Varma and Dube edged India closer to victory, until Dube was dismissed with just six balls and nine runs remaining.
Rinku Singh, who replaced Pandya for the final, faced a single delivery and promptly struck the winning runs, igniting celebrations among the Indian players.
Pakistan’s innings had started strongly, with Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman putting together an 84-run opening partnership. Farhan was eventually dismissed for 57 off 38 balls in the 10th over.
Zaman added 46 runs from 35 deliveries and briefly partnered with Saim Ayub, who scored 14, but after their dismissals, no other Pakistani batsman managed to reach double figures.
The Pakistani side collapsed from 113 for 2 to being all out for 146 in just 19.1 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav emerged as the standout bowler for India, claiming four wickets for 30 runs in his full quota of four overs. Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy each chipped in with a wicket.
Yadav finished the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps, while Sharma topped the batting charts with 314 runs.
