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Tilak, Kuldeep lead India to Asia Cup win in nervy final

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Courtney
It was a roller-coaster ride in the Asia Cup 2025 final – Pakistan did Pakistan things and still ran India very close. But the Suryakumar Yadav-led side held their nerve as India clinched their ninth Asia Cup with a 5-wicket win with two deliveries to spare in Dubai.
Pakistan got off to a great start, with Sahibzada Farhan bringing up another half-century. But from 113/1, they suffered a monumental collapse thanks to Kuldeep Yadav’s inspired spell, losing their last nine wickets for the addition of only 33 runs.
India, on the other hand, had a jittery start as the in-form Abhishek Sharma fell early, followed soon by Suryakumar and Shubman Gill. But Tilak Varma came up with a measured half-century and was involved in fifty-run stands with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube to take India over the line in a close finish.
Where was the game won?
In the death overs. At 107/1 after 12 overs, Pakistan were in control, but Kuldeep Yadav flipped the script with regular strikes, including three in a single over. From there, Pakistan unraveled, managing less than 150 as their innings fell apart in the final five overs. India, in contrast, overcame a shaky start through Tilak’s calculated knock, which stretched the chase deep before guiding them home. Pakistan had outscored India in both the powerplay and middle overs, but their sloppy batting at the death left them 20-30 runs short – a gap that proved decisive.
The death overs difference
Parameters Pakistan India
Score 18/6 50/1
Run-rate 4.32 10.71
4s/6s 1/0 2/3
PAKISTAN
Powerplay: Pakistan openers kept in check
Phase score – 45/0 (RR: 7.50, 4s/6s: 5/1)
With Hardik Pandya unavailable, India bolstered their batting by bringing in Rinku Singh, which meant Shivam Dube had to share the new ball. He began steadily, conceding only four runs – via a Sahibzada Farhan boundary. The opener, though, looked scratchy early on, beaten multiple times by Jasprit Bumrah before finding a four. Dube’s second over went for eight, with Fakhar Zaman collecting his first boundary, while Farhan grew in confidence against Bumrah, pulling him for four and launching him over long-off for six in a 13-run fourth over. Varun Chakaravarthy responded with a tight fifth, giving away only five, and Axar Patel kept things in check despite being struck for a boundary by Farhan, conceding eight. India, as a result, ensured Pakistan couldn’t get away in the powerplay.
Middle overs: Spinners make inroads after Farhan fifty
Phase score – 82/4 (RR: 9.28, 4s/6s: 4/4)
After a relatively sedate powerplay, Farhan cut loose against Kuldeep Yadav, pulling him for a six in the seventh over. He followed it up with a four through midwicket off Axar, while Fakhar joined in with a slog-sweep for six off Kuldeep. Farhan brought up a 35-ball fifty with a brace against the left-arm wristspinner, who leaked 23 from his first two overs. Varun Chakaravarthy also came in for punishment as Farhan cleared long-on, but the spinner hit back immediately, having the half-centurion caught at midwicket to end an 84-run stand in the 10th over. Saim Ayub began positively, with two boundaries off Dube, while Fakhar struck one off Tilak Varma to take Pakistan past 100 in the 12th over. Kuldeep managed to remove Ayub, who failed to keep a cut down. In the next over, Axar struck again as Mohammad Haris fell for a duck attempting an inside-out drive. Fakhar briefly eased the pressure with a six off Varun, but the spinner responded cleverly, bowling wide to have the left-hander slice to backward point.
Death overs: Kuldeep triggers mighty collapse
Phase score – 18/6 (RR: 4.32, 4s/6s: 1/0)
There was a brief moment of tension when Suryakumar Yadav appealed for obstructing the field, but Salman Agha was cleared by the third umpire. In the same over, however, Axar removed Hussain Talat, and Kuldeep Yadav followed it up with a brilliant spell that turned the game. He struck thrice in quick succession – Agha miscuing a slog, Shaheen Afridi trapped in front, and Faheem Ashraf caught at long-off – to complete a stunning comeback in his final two overs, bagging 4 for 7. Jasprit Bumrah then wrapped up the tail, dismissing Haris Rauf – which he celebrated with a flight-dip gesture – and Mohammad Nawaz as Pakistan folded with five balls still unused.
INDIA
Powerplay: Early strikes jolt India
Phase score – 36/3 (RR: 6.00, 4s/6s: 4.1)
Abhishek Sharma managed a boundary off Shaheen Afridi but never looked settled, and he soon perished to a slower ball from Faheem Ashraf, miscuing to mid-on. Suryakumar Yadav’s lean run continued as he holed out to long-off in Afridi’s over, with Salman Agha completing a fine catch that the third umpire confirmed as clean. Shubman Gill, who survived a run-out chance when Fakhar Zaman missed the stumps, struck a four off Ashraf but fell soon after, getting caught at mid-on to leave India in more trouble. After the jittery start, India found some tempo as Sanju Samson struck an elegant cover drive for a four, and Tilak Varma punched Ashraf for a four, followed by a pick-up shot for a six. Yet, it was good powerplay for Pakistan as they restricted India to their lowest score in this phase in the Asia Cup.
Middle overs: Middle-order steadies India
Phase score – 64/1 (RR: 7.11, 4s/6s: 4/3)
Samson and Tilak adopted a measured approach, rotating the strike and finding the occasional boundary. Samson had a slice of luck when Hussain Talat put him down at deep midwicket off Abrar while attempting a pull. India reached 58/3 at the halfway mark before the pair counterattacked, striking a six each off Abrar and Saim Ayub to raise a fifty partnership. Abrar broke the stand soon after, with Samson caught at backward point trying to force one that spun away, conceding just two runs in the over. Ayub followed with a tight five-run over, and Tilak narrowly avoided a run-out, as the pressure mounted on India with the required rate climbing beyond 10.5. Shivam Dube’s two fours and a six for Tilak, off Rauf, helped India get 17 in the 15th over to bring down the rate to 9.4 heading into the last five overs.
Death overs: Tilak, Dube power India’s title win
Phase score – 50/1 (RR: 10.71, 4s/6s: 2/3)
Dube started the death overs with a six off Abrar, and Tilak brought up a 41-ball fifty soon after. Needing 36 off 24, the fifth wicket pair saw off Afridi’s final over with only 6 coming off it. The 18th over proved productive for India as 13 came off it, including a six for Dube off the final ball of Rauf’s over, that raised a half-century stand. This brought the equation to 17 off 12, and Faheem was brought on. Suffering from cramps, he eventually began the over and conceded singles off his first three balls. Dube managed to pull the fourth past deep midwicket for a four before Ashraf delivered a dot and dismissed Dube off the final ball, caught at long-off. India needed 10 off the final over and Tilak managed a couple off the first ball from Rauf. The next ball went for a six as Tilak pulled it in front of square. He took a single off the next ball to level the scores and Rinku Singh, facing his first ball of the tournament, finished it off with a boundary over mid-on.
Brief scores: Pakistan 146 in 19.1 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 57, Fakhar Zaman 46; Kuldeep Yadav 4-30, Axar Patel 2-26) lost to India 150/5 in 19.4 overs (Tilak Varma 69*, Shivam Dube 33; Faheem Ashraf 3-29, Shaheen Afridi 1-20) by 5 wickets.

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