Sports Desk
Tilak Varma held his nerve with a match-winning half-century as India edged Pakistan by five wickets to lift the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 crown at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
Set 147 to win, the reigning world champions survived an early collapse to seal victory in 19.4 overs, with Varma unbeaten on 69 off 53 balls, an innings laced with four sixes and three fours.
Pakistan’s new-ball duo of Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Shah Afridi rattled India’s top order inside four overs.
Faheem drew first blood by dismissing the tournament’s leading run-scorer Abhishek Sharma for 5, before Shaheen removed Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav (1) with a sharp catch from Salman Ali Agha. Faheem struck again to send back Shubman Gill (12), reducing India to 20 for 3.
With India reeling, Varma combined with Sanju Samson for a steadying 57-run stand. Samson’s brisk 24 ended when Abrar Ahmed broke through in the 13th over.
Shivam Dube then joined Varma, and their 60-run partnership all but sealed the chase. Dube’s 33 off 22 balls provided crucial momentum before falling in the penultimate over.
Varma reached his fifty off 40 balls and ensured India crossed the finish line despite losing partners around him.
Earlier, Pakistan squandered a dominant start after being put in to bat. Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35) powered them to 84 without loss by the halfway mark.
But once Varun Chakravarthy removed Farhan, Kuldeep Yadav took control, bagging 4 for 30 as Pakistan collapsed to 146 all out in 19.1 overs.
India’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah taking two apiece, while Chakravarthy finished with 2 for 29.
The final marked the first-ever Asia Cup title showdown between the arch-rivals. Pakistan had qualified by defeating Bangladesh in a virtual semi-final, while India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.
For India, it was a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title, underscoring their dominance in regional cricket. Pakistan, despite glimpses of brilliance from Farhan, Fakhar, and Faheem, were left to rue their middle-order collapse at the decisive moment.
