Varma hits 69 not out as India chase 146 after coming into bat at 10-2 in a nervy finish to the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.
Tilak Varma held his nerve with an unbeaten innings of 69 runs as he steered India house in a five-wicket win over Pakistan in a gripping and controversial ultimate of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.
Coming into bat with India two wickets down for 10 runs within the third over, Varma weathered the storm whereas wickets fell on the different finish as India chased 147 within the politically charged match decider on Sunday, the place the champions refused to simply accept the winner’s trophy from the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
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It was the third India vs Pakistan match of the match and as soon as once more, the fixture was marred by controversy because the post-match presentation ceremony was delayed by greater than an hour as a result of unexplained causes as gamers and match organisers waited on the bottom.
As soon as the ceremony obtained underneath means, it was revealed by presenter Simon Doull that the Indian cricket crew had refused to attend it and wouldn’t acquire their winner’s medals and the Asia Cup trophy, ostensibly from Naqvi, who can be chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan’s Minister for Inside.
“Indian crew refuses to simply accept Asia Cup winners’ trophy from Pakistan minister and ACC head Mohsin Naqvi,” the Press Belief of India reported after the ceremony concluded.
Nevertheless, India’s participant of the ultimate Varma, high batter Abhishek Sharma and bowler Kuldeep Yadav did stroll as much as the presentation space to gather their cheques, albeit not from Naqvi.
Minutes later, India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates cheered with a mock trophy as they celebrated their ninth Asia Cup title.
India’s win was constructed round their 22-year-old batter Varma’s measured innings , which got here off 53 balls and included 4 sixes and three fours.
The run chase was dented within the second over when their star batter and the match’s main run-scorer Abhishek Sharma was dismissed for 5 runs by Pakistan’s medium-pace bowler Faheem Ashraf on the primary ball of India’s second over. He fell to a mistimed try at a six and was caught at mid-on.
Suryakumar Yadav adopted quickly after, when Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed him for one run because the Indian captain hit his fifth ball straight to mid-off, the place his Pakistani counterpart Salman Agha took a diving catch.
It was then as much as Varma and opener Gill to regular the ship for India, however Gill departed 9 balls later to Ashraf. Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson chipped in with an innings of 24 off 21 earlier than falling to leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed.
New batter Shivam Dube, who had earlier taken on the accountability of opening the bowling for India within the absence of Hardik Pandya, performed a supporting position to Varma’s innings.
Whereas Pakistan bowled effectively, they weren’t absolutely supported by the fielders as two catches have been dropped and an important run-out likelihood was missed by wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris, who was gradual to take away the bails as Varma dived in.
Varma made Pakistan pay as he and Dube took India on the verge of victory, just for Dube to fall with six balls and 9 runs left.
Rinku Singh, who changed Pandya within the ultimate, confronted one ball and hit the profitable runs off it to spark celebrations within the Indian camp.
Earlier, Pakistan started their innings brightly as Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave them a gap stand of 84, earlier than Farhan was dismissed for 57 off 38 within the tenth over.
Zaman (46 off 35) then fashioned a quick partnership with Saim Ayub, who scored 14 runs, however as soon as they have been dismissed, not one of the Pakistan batters may submit greater than 9 runs .
The crew in inexperienced crashed from 113-2 to 146 all out in 38 balls as they completed their innings in 19.1 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav was the choose of the bowlers for India as he picked 4 wickets for 30 runs in his 4 overs. Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy took a wicket apiece.
Yadav ended the match as its main wicket – taker with 17, whereas Sharma was the highest batter with 314 runs.
