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Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube turned out to be heroes in a pressure chase as the duo played stellar knocks to help India beat Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai to lift the Asia Cup 2025 title. India defeated Pakistan for the third straight time in the tournament to defend their Asia Cup crown and extend their dominance against the arch-rivals in T20Is.
Tilak slammed an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, while Dube scored a valuable 33 off 22 deliveries to help India recover from a disastrous start and chase down the tricky target of 147 runs with two balls to spare. The duo showcased remarkable composure under immense pressure and held their nerves to take India home from a precarious position, helping them lift their 9th Asia Cup title.
India began their pursuit of the 147-run target as clear favourites, however, the pressure and magnitude of the final against Pakistan got to them after the Men in Blue lost in-form Abhishek Sharma and his opening partner Shubman Gill in quick succession. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav's poor patch continued as India were reduced to 20/3 inside the first four overs.
However, Tilak combined with Sanju Samson to rescue India's sinking ship with a crucial 57-run stand for the fourth wicket. After Samson's departure, Tilak joined hands with Dube to take India over the line in a dramatic chase. The left-hander arrived in the middle after skipper Suryakumar's departure in the Powerplay and stayed till the end to get India over the line with a magnificent knock.
Having beaten Pakistan twice in the tournament, India headed into the final as favourites, considering their dominant run and the quality in their ranks. However, the top order crumbled under pressure in the final. In-form Abhishek fell to Faheem Ashraf in the 2nd over, while Gill departed after scoring 12 off 10 balls to the Pakistan all-rounder in the 3rd over.
Expectations were high from Surya after his rough patch in the Super 4 stage, however, the Indian skipper failed to deliver under pressure as Shaheen Afridi sent him packing cheaply on 1 off 5 balls, reducing India to tatters early in the 147-run chase.
Tilak looked composed right from the onset and took control of the proceedings after joining hands with Samson. Samson scored 24 off 21 balls as the duo added a vital 57-run stand for the third wicket to help India recover from their poor start. Despite losing Samson at a crucial stage, India were in control of the chase with several batters to follow.
Dube joined Tilak in the middle after the wicket-keeper batter's departure, and the two added 64 runs for the fifth wicket to help India nail the 147-run target and continue their supremacy over Pakistan with a third straight victory in the Asia Cup 2025.
Earlier, a wily Kuldeep Yadav combined with his spin partners Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy to bring Pakistan to the ground after their strong start in the final. Openers Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls) got Pakistan off to a flyer with their 84-run stand for the first wicket.
However, the spinners helped India claw back into the game after Chakaravarthy broke the stand in the 10th over. Kuldeep continued his impressive run against Pakistan with a four-wicket haul, while Axar and Chakaravarthy picked up two wickets apiece as Pakistan were skittled out for 146, losing nine wickets for 62 runs in 9.3 overs.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was enduring a difficult day after being taken to the cleaners by Farhan in the Powerplay, also ended on a high by cleaning up Haris Rauf with a lethal yorker, before removing Mohammad Nawaz cheaply to finish with figures of 2/25 off his 3.1 overs.
Bumrah further spiced up the final with his epic 'plane-crash' celebration after dismissing Rauf as he gave it back to the Pakistani pacer, whose provocative gestures had made headlines during the Super 4 clash between the two teams.
After beating them twice in the group stage and the Super 4 stage, respectively, India once again proved they are miles ahead of Pakistan in terms of quality as they beat Salman Ali Agha's men for the third time in row to win the Asia Cup 2025 title unbeaten. With their ninth title, India also extended their dominance in the tournament as the most successful team of all time.
