India secured a record ninth Asia Cup title with a five-wicket victory over neighbours Pakistan in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The match, which saw fortunes change hands constantly, was sealed by an unbeaten knock from Tilak Varma. Chasing a target of 147, India held firm amidst a middle-order collapse, with Tilak guiding the team across the line with just two balls to spare, following a game-sealing six in the final over.
The drama began in the first innings when Pakistan, after a steady start from Sahibzada Farhan, imploded from 84/1 in the 10th over to be bowled out for just 146. Farhan's fluent fifty gave Pakistan control, but India’s spinners engineered a turnaround. Kuldeep Yadav, despite an expensive start, returned with figures of 4/30, tearing through the middle order. Pakistan lost nine wickets for just 33 runs, their persistent issues against quality spin-bowling once again proving fatal. Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel provided key support, while Jasprit Bumrah applied the finishing touches to the tail.
India’s chase started with a tense affair, reeling at 20/3 inside the powerplay. The law of averages finally caught up with the in-form Abhishek Sharma (5), while captain Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill followed suit, all three falling victim to the sluggish pitch and the slower deliveries of the Pakistani pacers. With the team dragging, the task of rebuilding fell to Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson. The duo showed composure, putting on a crucial 57-run stand off 50 balls, carefully navigating the spinners by playing off the back foot and eliminating premeditated shots. Samson eventually fell for 24, before stabilizing the innings, with his essential cameo.
The focal partnership came between Tilak and Shivam Dube, who added 60 runs off 40 deliveries. The turning point was the 15th over bowled by Haris Rauf, whose pace-on approach backfired on the slow surface. Tilak and Dube plundered 17 runs off the over, halting the required run rate from 10.66 to 9.4. Dube, who had previously struggled for timing, found his range to score a fine 33 off 22 balls before falling in the penultimate over, leaving 10 runs to win from the final six balls.
Tilak Varma, who anchored the innings, unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, released the remaining pressure with a six over deep square-leg off the first ball of the last over. Rinku Singh, stepping in for the injured Hardik Pandya, then hit a boundary off his first ball of the tournament to seal the five-wicket victory. Tilak’s composed play was exactly what the situation demanded, helping the reigning T20 World Champions claim yet another continental triumph.
