DUBAI: Tilak Varma hit an unbeaten 69 as India defeated Pakistan by five wickets for a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title on Sunday. Chasing 147 for victory, India depended on Varma&#39;s 53-ball knock and a key 60-run stand with fellow left-hander Shivam Dube to reach their target with two balls to spare in Dubai. Dube got out for 33 at the end of the 19th over and, with India needing 10 off the last six deliveries, Varma struck a six and Rinku Singh hit the winning boundary as the pair ran off to celebrate with their team. India&rsquo;s third victory&nbsp;Kuldeep Yadav set up India&#39;s third victory over their rivals in the regional tournament played under the T20 format as his figures of 4-30 helped bowl out Pakistan for 146. India were in trouble at 3-20 and 4-77, but Varma kept calm to anchor the chase as he hit three fours and four sixes in his knock. Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson&#39;s 24 and then a supporting knock by Dube took India home at a nearly packed stadium.&nbsp; Pakistan started strongly as openers Sahibzada Farhan, who made 57, and Fakhar Zaman, who made 46, put on 84 runs but the team slipped from 113-1 to be bowled out in 19.1 overs. Farhan&rsquo;s second fifty&nbsp;Farhan fell after his second fifty in this edition of the Asia Cup after the batter attempted a second successive six off spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Zaman took charge and along with Saim Ayub kept up the attack with regular boundaries until Kuldeep struck in the 13th over. Ayub fell to Kuldeep&#39;s left-arm wrist spin as Pakistan lost six wickets for 21 runs. Zaman fell short of his fifty and Kuldeep struck with three wickets in the 17th over, including skipper Salman Agha for eight. The Asia Cup was widely seen as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March of next year.

Cricket

Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 led India to a five-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, securing their ninth title. Kuldeep Yadav’s 4-30 bowling helped restrict Pakistan to 146, with key partnerships guiding India home.

Varma guides India to Asia Cup final win over Pakistan

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan head into Sunday&rsquo;s Asia Cup final against India with history on their side, having won more final face-offs against their arch-rivals in multi-nation tournaments.&nbsp;The neighbors have met five times in finals of events featuring five or more teams. Pakistan emerged victorious in three, while India won two. India clinched the 1985 Benson &amp; Hedges World Championship and the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup final. Pakistan lifted the Austral-Asia Cup in 1986 and 1994, before routing India by 180 runs in the 2017 Champions Trophy final at The Oval.&nbsp;This will be their first-ever meeting in an Asia Cup final. Strengths and weaknesses India&rsquo;s batting firepower remains their strongest asset, with Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav anchoring the top order and Hardik Pandya providing balance in the middle. But questions linger over their lower-order depth, particularly against quality pace.&nbsp;Pakistan, in contrast, are banking on their fast-bowling trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf to tilt the contest. Their batting, however, has lacked consistency, with Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub under pressure to deliver alongside skipper Salman Ali Agha.&nbsp;Form and milestones India have won two of the last four Asia Cups unbeaten. Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh recently became the first Indian bowler to reach 100 wickets in T20 internationals. Pakistan&rsquo;s Haris Rauf is the joint-leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 17 scalps.&nbsp;Likely line-ups India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.&nbsp;Pakistan (probable): Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

This is the first time the arch-rivals are meeting in the Asia Cup final.

Pakistan boast better finals record against India before Asia Cup decider

ISLAMABAD: Cricket&rsquo;s fiercest rivalry is about to enter uncharted territory. For the first time in the tournament&rsquo;s 41-year history, Pakistan and India will face off in the Asia Cup final on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.&nbsp;The clash adds a fresh chapter to a storied rivalry that transcends sport, bringing political tensions, national pride, and the weight of history to the crease. While the two sides have squared off many times in Asia Cup matches, never before has a title been on the line.&nbsp;Pakistan sealed their place in the decider by edging Bangladesh in a tense 11-run win, while India arrive unbeaten after brushing aside all challengers. The Green Shirts, champions in 2000 and 2012, are chasing their third crown, while India look to extend their dominance in the region.&nbsp;But the buildup has been far from smooth.&nbsp;A handshake controversy in the group stage, when Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, reportedly on the advice of the Indian government, declined to shake hands with Pakistani captain Salman Ali Agha, sparked a storm.&nbsp;The gesture was repeated in the Super Four round, leaving Pakistan&rsquo;s players and coach Mike Hesson openly frustrated. Agha later called the snub &ldquo;harmful,&rdquo; saying past Indo-Pak contests, no matter how heated, always ended with a handshake.&nbsp;The tension has only heightened the stakes. This is the first tournament meeting between the nuclear-armed neighbours since a military conflict in May, ensuring emotions will run high under Dubai&rsquo;s lights.&nbsp;&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always pressure in Pakistan-India matches,&rdquo; Agha admitted at the pre-final press conference. &ldquo;But if we make fewer mistakes, we can win. You&rsquo;ll see us winning.&rdquo;&nbsp;India, meanwhile, survived a Super Over scare against Sri Lanka in Friday&rsquo;s dead rubber, a reminder that even unbeaten sides can wobble.&nbsp;For fans, the final promises more than just cricket; it&rsquo;s a collision of skill, nerves, and national sentiment, with the Asia Cup trophy as the prize.

India and Pakistan meet in their first-ever Asia Cup final in Dubai. Pakistan eye a third title, India defend their unbeaten run, while handshake controversies and recent political tensions add extra spice to the already historic showdown.

Pakistan, India set for historic first Asia Cup final showdown

Reuters

DUBAI: Defending champions India survived Pathum Nissanka&#39;s blistering hundred and some intense Super Over drama before beating Sri Lanka in a dead rubber to maintain their unbeaten run in the Asia Cup on Friday.&nbsp;With India having already secured their place in Sunday&#39;s final against Pakistan and Sri Lanka eliminated, the Super Fours clash was of merely academic interest, but it turned out to be the most exciting game of this year&#39;s tournament. <div class="fr-embed responsive-video"><div class="video-wrapper aspect-video"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1971653003137765438&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=65d2fdf47b271fa8ce005db744d2b4f29fcb7e2e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 902px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1971653003137765438"></iframe></div></div></div>&nbsp;Sri Lanka gave a good account of themselves and matched India&#39;s 202-5 to force the Super Over after Nissanka (107) smashed the first individual hundred of this year&#39;s tournament.&nbsp;Sri Lanka, however, managed only two runs in the Super Over before losing both wickets in five deliveries from Arshdeep Singh.&nbsp;India skipper Suryakumar Yadav took three runs from the first delivery from Wanindu Hasaranga to seal their victory matter-of-factly.&nbsp;Earlier, put into bat, 20-overs world champions India racked up the tournament&#39;s first 200-plus total, riding opener Abhishek Sharma&#39;s third consecutive fifty in the tournament.&nbsp;Abhishek, the world&#39;s top-ranked T20 batter, maintained his red-hot form with a sizzling 61 off 31 balls.&nbsp;Opening partner Shubman Gill fell for four, and skipper Suryakumar&#39;s (12) slump in form continued but India did not really suffer as Abhishek raced to a 22-ball fifty.&nbsp;Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka removed Abhishek, but Tilak Varma, who made 49 not out, and Sanju Samson (39) maintained the pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers.&nbsp;In their chase, Sri Lanka lost Kusal Mendis for a duck in the first over but cruised to 72-1 after the six powerplay overs.&nbsp;India rested pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, while Hardik Pandya bowled just one over before leaving the field.&nbsp;Nissanka needed 25 balls to bring up his fifty and Kusal Perera (58) could not be denied his half-century either.&nbsp;Spinner Varun Chakravarthy broke the 127-run stand when he dismissed Perera.&nbsp;Nissanka raced to a 52-ball hundred but fell in the first ball of the last over, which ended with Sri Lanka also on 202-5 forcing the Super Over.

Asia Cup 2025, Super Four, Sri Lanka vs India

 The defending champions now face arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday.

India overcome Nissanka ton and Super Over drama to edge out Sri Lanka

DUBAI: Defending champions India stormed into the final of the Asia Cup on Wednesday after thumping Bangladesh by 41 runs in a Super Four stage contest to maintain their blemish-free run in the tournament.&nbsp;Reigning 20-over world champions India have remained unbeaten in the eight-team tournament, but their 168-6, built around opener Abhishek Sharma&#39;s rapid 75, was probably less than what they expected after a blazing start.&nbsp;Their bowlers made up for the lost runs, though, and bowled out Bangladesh for 127 runs in 19.3 overs with only Saif Hassan offering some resistance with a belligerent 69. Bangladesh face Pakistan Thursday &nbsp;Bangladesh face Pakistan in Thursday&#39;s Super Fours contest, with the winners booking their place in Sunday&#39;s final against India.&nbsp;With regular Bangladesh skipper Litton Das sitting out with a side strain, stop-gap captain Jaker Ali elected to field but could not quite lead by example.&nbsp;The wicket-keeper dropped Abhishek, the world&#39;s top-ranked T20 batter, off Tanzim Hassan Sakib when the opener was on seven, and it proved a costly mistake.&nbsp;Abhishek combined with Shubman Gill (29) in a 77-run opening stand en route to a blistering 25-ball fifty. Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain dismissed Gill and Shivam Dube in successive overs to stem the boundary flow, and India suddenly slumped from 77 for no loss in the seventh over to 129-5 in the 15th. Abhishek&#39;s 37-ball blitzAbhishek&#39;s 37-ball blitz ended after a mix-up with skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who fell caught behind to Mustafizur Rahman after making five.&nbsp;Hardik Pandya made 38 down the order to take India past the 150-mark.&nbsp;Bangladesh lost Tanzid Hasan in the second over, but Saif and Parvez Hossain Emon (21) steadied their innings.&nbsp;Once spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3-18) dismissed Emon, Bangladesh kept losing wickets at regular intervals.&nbsp;Saif smacked five sixes in his belligerent knock but did not get much help from the other end.

India advanced to the Asia Cup final with a 41-run victory over Bangladesh in Dubai. Abhishek Sharma’s rapid 75 and Kuldeep Yadav’s 3-18 led the way as Bangladesh fell for 127 despite Saif Hassan’s 69.

India beat Bangladesh by 41 runs to storm into Asia Cup final

ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan will face off in the 14th match of the Men&rsquo;s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Four stage on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.&nbsp;&nbsp;The match will start at 7:30 p.m. local time.&nbsp;Recent resultsIndia is leading Group A after winning all three group matches, earning six points with a net run rate of 3.547, including defeating the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Pakistan.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Pakistan holds second place with four points, winning two of three games; their only loss was to India. Pakistan won against the UAE and Oman.&nbsp;Possible squadIndia&rsquo;s squad is captained by Suryakumar Yadav, with vice-captain Shubman Gill. Batters include Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, and Rinku Singh while bowlers include Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav.&nbsp; Axar Patel is part of the squad but may miss the game due to a recent head injury. The Pakistani side will be captained by Salman Agha, supported by batters Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan. The bowling line-up features Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and Hasan Nawaz.&nbsp;VenueUmpires Asif Yaqoob and Rohan Pandit will officiate, with Virender Sharma as TV umpire. Andy Pycroft will serve as match referee.&nbsp;The game will be played under floodlights in a 20-over format, with an interval between innings.&nbsp;Political context and rivalry Historically, India-Pakistan cricket matches carry political and emotional significance beyond the sport. The rivalry has been marked by tension in recent years, with incidents such as India&rsquo;s players not shaking hands with Pakistan&rsquo;s team after their group match this tournament.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spoke about breaches in conduct and governance by the Indian side. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) found no protocol violations in the disputed incidents.&nbsp;Group A points table<table id="isPasted"><thead><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Team</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">Matches Played</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">Wins</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">Losses</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">Points</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">Net Run Rate</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">India</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">3</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">0</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">6</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">3.547</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Pakistan</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">2</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">1</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">4</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">1.790</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">United Arab Emirates</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">1</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">2</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">2</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-1.984</td></tr><tr><td style="width: 30.5383%;">Oman</td><td style="width: 22.2561%;">3</td><td style="width: 8.6877%;">0</td><td style="width: 10.428%;">3</td><td style="width: 9.6581%;">0</td><td style="width: 18.3812%;">-2.600</td></tr></tbody></table>&nbsp;The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

The Asia Cup final is scheduled for September 28.

Articles tagged with "Asia Cup final"

Varma guides India to Asia Cup final win over Pakistan

Pakistan boast better finals record against India before Asia Cup decider

Pakistan, India set for historic first Asia Cup final showdown

India overcome Nissanka ton and Super Over drama to edge out Sri Lanka

India beat Bangladesh by 41 runs to storm into Asia Cup final

India-Pakistan Asia Cup showdown: Politics fuels drama