India once again lifted the Asia Cup after beating their arch-rivals for the third time in the tournament.
The first two encounters between the sides were one-sided affairs. In the final, Pakistan seemed to be heading for another anticlimactic finish when their dramatic batting collapse saw them bowled out for under 150 after being in a strong position. This time, however, Pakistan put up a fierce fight with the ball, striking early and removing three Indian wickets. But thanks to Tilak Varma’s brilliant innings and two fifty-plus partnerships, India overcame the hurdles and were crowned Asia Cup champions once more.
In a final brimming with tension and excitement, the T20 World Champions sealed a five-wicket victory.
“India defeated Pakistan three times in this tournament to claim their ninth Asia Cup title, extending their dominance as the competition’s most successful team.”
On Sunday in Dubai, Pakistan were 113 for 1 in the 13th over, eyeing at least 180. But a stunning collapse saw them lose nine wickets for 33 runs, folding for 146 with five balls left.
In reply, India stumbled to 20 for 3 but reached the target with two balls to spare, powered by Tilak’s fifty-plus innings.
Tilak starred in the final with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, decorated with four sixes and three fours. Shivam Dube also made a notable contribution, smashing 33 off 22 balls with two fours and two sixes.
India needed 10 runs off the last over. After two runs off the first ball from Haris Rauf, Tilak launched a six. A single brought scores level before Rinku Singh, playing his first match of the tournament, sealed the win with a four over mid-off. It was the only ball he faced!
India’s bowlers laid the foundation for victory. Their three spinners took eight wickets, with Kuldeep Yadav finishing as the most successful bowler — four for 30 in his four overs. The left-arm wrist-spinner also ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker with 17 wickets in seven matches.
Tournament’s top run-scorer Abhishek Sharma couldn’t shine in the final. Though he started with a boundary off the second ball of the chase, he fell for just 5, dismissed by Faheem Ashraf. Suryakumar Yadav followed soon after, dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi. Both fell to slower balls.
When Shubman Gill departed for 12, India were in deep trouble at 20 for 3.
Pakistan had defended 135 to beat Bangladesh by 11 runs in the Super Four stage and were likely hoping for a similar miracle here.
Tilak tried to ease the pressure with a few boundaries. Sanju Samson, meanwhile, survived a chance on 12 when Hussain Talat dropped a catch, allowing the partnership to grow.
Abrar Ahmed broke the 57-run stand by dismissing Samson (24 off 21), and wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris missed a run-out chance to send back Tilak in the next over.
Tilak and Dube then steered India forward. They needed 64 runs from the final six overs. In Rauf’s 15th over, the pair plundered 17 runs.
With 13 required off as many balls, Dube reduced the gap with a six off Rauf. In the 19th over, he hit a four off Faheem before falling on the last ball.
Pakistan’s hopes flickered briefly, but Tilak and Rinku crushed them in the final over.
Earlier, Pakistan had begun strongly after losing the toss. They scored 45 without loss in the powerplay, not overly aggressive but steady.
Sahibzada Farhan played some delightful strokes and reached his fifty in 35 balls — his second successive half-century against India. His 38-ball 57 featured five fours and three sixes before he holed out trying another big shot against Varun Chakravarthy in the 10th over.
Saim Ayub, who had four ducks in his previous six innings, started well with a couple of boundaries but fell to Kuldeep in the 13th over, sparking the collapse.
Haris went for a duck off Axar Patel, Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35) was caught after hitting a six off Varun, and Axar struck again to remove Talat.
Kuldeep produced a sensational 17th over, taking three wickets — Salman Ali Agha, Afridi, and Faheem — for just one run. Jasprit Bumrah wrapped up the innings with the last two wickets in successive overs.
Beyond the top three, no Pakistani batter reached double figures!
By winning the title, India also extended their dominance over Pakistan in head-to-head T20 clashes. They’ve now won 13 of the 16 encounters between the two sides, including all of the last five.
This Asia Cup saw its fair share of controversies involving these two teams. In the group stage, Indian captain Suryakumar did not shake hands with Pakistan captain Salman at the toss. After the match, Indian players left the field without shaking hands and locked their dressing room door.
In protest, Salman skipped the post-match presentation. Pakistan later boycotted press conferences, even threatening to pull out of the tournament and demanding the match referee’s removal.
Suryakumar was fined for his post-match comments, Rauf was fined for a controversial celebration, and Farhan received a warning during the Super Four stage.
Even after the final, there was no handshake between the teams. While India celebrated, Pakistan’s camp was left drowning in disappointment.
Brief Scores
Pakistan: 146 all out in 19.1 overs (Farhan 57, Fakhar 46, Saim 14; Kuldeep 4-30, Varun 2-30, Axar 2-26, Bumrah 2-25)
India: 150/5 in 19.4 overs (Tilak 69*, Dube 33, Samson 24; Faheem 3-29, Afridi 1-20, Abrar 1-29)
Result: India won by five wickets to become champions.
