Agency, September 29: India secured their ninth ACC Asia Cup title with a thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday night. In the final match held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India chased down a target of 147 runs, winning by five wickets with just two balls to spare.
Chasing 147, India reached 150/5 in 19.4 overs. Tilak Varma was the hero with the bat, smashing a brilliant half-century. He scored 53 runs off 53 deliveries, including 4 sixes and 3 fours. Shivam Dube added 33, Sanju Samson 24, and Shubman Gill chipped in with 12 runs.
For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf starred with the ball, claiming three wickets for 29 runs in his four overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed picked up a wicket each.
Earlier, Pakistan, put into bat after losing the toss, were bowled out for 146 runs in 20 overs. At one stage, they were cruising at 113/2 in the 13th over, but a dramatic batting collapse saw them lose wickets in quick succession, falling well short of a big total. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 57, while Fakhar Zaman added 46. Other batters failed to contribute significantly.
India’s bowling attack was led by Kuldeep Yadav, who took 4 wickets for 30 runs. Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel claimed a wicket apiece.
In the post-match awards, Abhishek Sharma, the tournament’s top run-scorer, was named Player of the Series. Kuldeep Yadav, with 17 wickets in seven matches, was recognized as the Best Bowler.
However, the celebrations took an unexpected turn. Despite winning the title, Indian players refused to lift the Asia Cup trophy. According to the tournament protocol, the trophy was to be presented by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, but Indian players declined to receive it from him, making a strong statement of protest.
