India defeat Pakistan by five wickets in controversy-hit Asia Cup final

Varma hits 69 not retired arsenic India pursuit 146 aft coming into bat astatine 10-2 successful a nervy extremity to the Asia Cup 2025 successful Dubai.

Tilak Varma held his nervus with an unbeaten innings of 69 runs arsenic helium steered India location successful a five-wicket win implicit Pakistan successful a gripping and arguable last of the Asia Cup 2025 successful Dubai.

Coming into bat with India 2 wickets down for 10 runs successful the 3rd over, Varma weathered the tempest portion wickets fell astatine the different extremity arsenic India chased 147 successful the politically charged tourney decider connected Sunday, wherever the champions refused to judge the winner’s trophy from the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

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It was the 3rd India vs Pakistan lucifer of the tourney and erstwhile again, the fixture was marred by contention arsenic the post-match presumption ceremonial was delayed by much than an hr owed to unexplained reasons arsenic players and tourney organisers waited connected the ground.

Once the ceremonial got nether way, it was revealed by presenter Simon Doull that the Indian cricket squad had refused to be it and would not cod their winner’s medals and the Asia Cup trophy, ostensibly from Naqvi, who is besides president of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s Minister for Interior.

“Indian squad refuses to judge Asia Cup winners’ trophy from Pakistan curate and ACC caput Mohsin Naqvi,” the Press Trust of India reported aft the ceremonial concluded.

However, India’s subordinate of the last Varma, apical batter Abhishek Sharma and bowler Kuldeep Yadav did locomotion up to the presumption country to cod their cheques, albeit not from Naqvi.

Minutes later, India’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates cheered with a mock trophy arsenic they celebrated their ninth Asia Cup title.

India’s skipper Suryakumar Yadav pretends to clasp the Asia Cup trophy arsenic helium walks implicit to his teammates to observe winning the tourney [Raghed Waked/Reuters]

India’s triumph was built astir their 22-year-old batter Varma’s measured innings , which came disconnected 53 balls and included 4 sixes and 3 fours.

The tally pursuit was dented successful the 2nd implicit erstwhile their prima batter and the tournament’s starring run-scorer Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for 5 runs by Pakistan’s medium-pace bowler Faheem Ashraf connected the archetypal shot of India’s 2nd over. He fell to a mistimed effort astatine a six and was caught astatine mid-on.

Suryakumar Yadav followed soon after, erstwhile Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed him for 1 tally arsenic the Indian skipper deed his 5th shot consecutive to mid-off, wherever his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha took a diving catch.

It was past up to Varma and opener Gill to dependable the vessel for India, but Gill departed 9 balls aboriginal to Ashraf. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson chipped successful with an innings of 24 disconnected 21 earlier falling to leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed.

New batter Shivam Dube, who had earlier taken connected the work of opening the bowling for India successful the lack of Hardik Pandya, played a supporting relation to Varma’s innings.

While Pakistan bowled well, they were not afloat supported by the fielders arsenic 2 catches were dropped and a important run-out accidental was missed by wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris, who was dilatory to region the bails arsenic Varma dived in.

Varma made Pakistan wage arsenic helium and Dube took India connected the verge of victory, lone for Dube to autumn with six balls and 9 runs left.

Rinku Singh, who replaced Pandya successful the final, faced 1 shot and deed the winning runs disconnected it to spark celebrations successful the Indian camp.

India’s Tilak Varma celebrates his team’s triumph against Pakistan astatine the extremity of the Asia Cup 2025 last astatine the Dubai International Stadium successful Dubai [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

Earlier, Pakistan began their innings brightly arsenic Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave them an opening basal of 84, earlier Farhan was dismissed for 57 disconnected 38 successful the 10th over.

Zaman (46 disconnected 35) past formed a little concern with Saim Ayub, who scored 14 runs, but erstwhile they were dismissed, nary of the Pakistan batters could station much than 9 runs .

The squad successful greenish crashed from 113-2 to 146 each retired successful 38 balls arsenic they finished their innings successful 19.1 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav was the prime of the bowlers for India arsenic helium picked 4 wickets for 30 runs successful his 4 overs. Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy took a wicket apiece.

Yadav ended the tourney arsenic its starring wicket – taker with 17, portion Sharma was the apical batter with 314 runs.