India win
They are nine-time champions of the Asia Cup and they have Tilak Varma to thank for it. The six he hit in the last over to bring the equation down to 2 off 4 had coach Gautam Gambhir banging both of his hands onto the desk in front of him. That's gonna be a meme now.
Pakistan's bowlers conjured a game out of nowhere. With only 146 to defend, it felt like this final would end up as one-sided as the previous meetings between the two teams over the past three weeks. But Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed pulled together and kept the pressure up right until the end.
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India need 10 from 6
The Asia Cup title.
And it's going down to the wire.
Faheem takes down Dube off the last ball of the 19th over. The plan to keep pace off the ball and hide it wide outside off works.
Tilak is set, and he will be facing. But at the other end, Rinku Singh, who has not played any competitive cricket since IPL 2025
Over-rate penalty on Pakistan though - they won't have the usual five fielders on the boundary. Only four.
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India need 17 from 12
Now it's India's turn to relay messages from the dressing room. The umpires though make sure Harshit Rana is removed from the field quick as a flash.
Faheem Ashraf tried to bowl the first ball of the 19th over twice and pulled up. His team surrounds him now as he lays on the field with his feet up, seemingly cramping.
Rishabh Pant did something like this in the T20 World Cup final when the momentum had shifted South Africa's way. He even admitted to have these "cramps" so that India could regroup.
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Dube with a big hit
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Haris Rauf did a lot of things right in the 18th over.
He took pace off. He held a wide line. He went yorker.
For five balls, India could only score in singles and twos.
The sixth one though disappears.
Dube sees a full toss and hammers it over long-on. Long levers. Cool head.
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India need 30 from 18
There are messages being relayed from the dressing room, from coach Mike Hesson down to captain Salman Agha.
Pakistan see this as make or break
The crowd are on the edge of their seat.
We might be in the middle of an India-Pakistan classic
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Tilak fifty
He's looked classy. There was a shot he hit early on, a back foot punch through cover, to a slower ball from Faheem Ashraf. There was no room. It certainly wasn't short. So to play a straight bat shot like that and get the power he needed to find the boundary required Tilak to be dialled in to the pace of the pitch. Other batters have struggled there, including Pakistan's. A crucial innings under a lot of pressure.
This is Tilak's first fifty since that 72* v ENG at Chennai in a chase, eight inns in between, India were at a similar stage at halfway mark in that chase
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India target Rauf
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India were able to hit only four boundaries since the end of the powerplay.
Pakistan's spinners were strangling them.
Rauf comes back for the 15th over and pace on the ball proves profitable
Agha learns his lesson and brings back Abrar from the other end.
Dube, India's spin-hitter, targets him.
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The smallness of Pakistan's total finally makes its presence felt. India have been under the pump for so long but they now need 36 off 24.
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Abrar KOs Samson
In Abrar's first over, he watched a catch go down off Samson. Now in his third over, he gets his man. Beautiful bowling. There's flight. But only enough to draw the batter forward and leave him in no-man's land. Samson can't get to the pitch. That means the turn on the ball cannot be negated. It will be consequential and so it proves as a hoick over long-on ends up as a leading edge in the hands of point.
Pakistan into India's allrounders now. Shivam Dube in the middle. Axar Patel to follow. And Rinku Singh who hasn't played any competitive cricket since the end of the IPL. Required run rate over 10. India need 64 off 36.
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SKY vs Pakistan
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Halway stage
The fast bowlers stayed out of the hitting areas, making sure there weren't any half-volleys or short balls that are easy to put away on this slow pitch. The spinners are camped right on the stumps, asking India to take risks if they want quick runs. Excellent basics from Pakistan. There's turn on offer in Dubai. India have batting till with Axar Patel at No. 8.
Samson isn't the best against spin, but if he pulls this off, all those worries about how he copes with a middle order role will be put to bed. Tilak seems to be in control, but he's going at below run a ball - 24 off 26 as India end up on 58 for 3 after 10 overs
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India in trouble
36 India's lowest powerplay score in this Asia Cup, and their third-lowest overall against Pakistan in T20Is
Abhishek's wicket early has had a ripple effect. When he's around, the scoring rate is high and there are no nerves. With him gone, uncertainty spread. It also means Pakistan can utilise all of their bowlers, Mohammad Nawaz's left-arm spin need not be hidden. And the first ball he bowls shows that there is turn in this pitch. This chase is going to be a proper scrap.
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Pakistan ahead
65 percent. Pakistan's chances of victory after five overs in defence of 146.
India are 25 for 3 with Sanju Samson playing an unfamiliar role in the middle order and Hardik Pandya missing from the XI.
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Gill gone
Pakistan are all over this. Their bowling has made below par totals look more than enough. Except against India. Now the magic is working against India too.
Gill makes a poor decision - this whole innings of his has been skittish. He's tried to protect his stumps. He's tried to force the pace. He's tried not to make a mistake. He gets one shot away - a pull after coming down the track, and yet it still looked as if he was geeing himself up to peak performance.
Faheem Ashraf, the allrounder bowling a litany of slower balls, very few of them actually hittable, wear on Gill's nerves. He charges out again - immediately after getting that boundary - and gets caught at mid-on. Poor decision making, which wasn't on show earlier in the tournament, which suggests playing Pakistan in the final is definitely a different thing.
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Shaheen KOs SKY
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Oh this is quality from the Pakistan spearhead. Shaheen is bowling full tilt, his pace up above 140, nearing 150kph. It is clear he's in rhythm. He's also street smart.
Suryakumar likes pace on the ball. He relies on it to manipulate the field. So Shaheen takes pace off. It doesn't matter that he's been cooking the speedgun. He understands the plan to the India captain is to make him stagnate. That requires him to bowl those offcutters of his and one of them grips in the pitch enough to stop on Suryakumar, who suddenly has to push his hands in front of his body to make contact. That contact is measly though, with the ball only going as far as mid-off, dying on the fielder, who takes a lovely catch diving forward.
There are signs of India panicking. Before the third over is done, Gill and Tilak Varma hesitate over a quick single to mid-on. Eventually they go for it and a direct hit would've got rid of Gill.
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Abhishek gone
India have to do this the hard way then. Their previous wins over Pakistan were set up by the openers taking a big bite out of the target. Finding a way to stop that was high on Pakistan's list leading into this final. Their solution was Faheem Ashraf, who delivers a lovely offbreak, well wide of the left-hand batter's reach. Abhishek still goes for the big shot, that's the way he'll always play, that's the way his team wants him to play. This time though he mis-hits and gets caught at mid-on.
Suryakumar Yadav is in at No. 3. He's not had a good Asia Cup so far.
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Pakistan 146 all out
Nine wickets for 33 runs. Pakistan collapsed from a position of strength in the Asia Cup final. They had no business being bowled out for 146 when they were 113 for 1 with 44 balls left in the innings. Sahibzada Farhan had hit a half-century. Kuldeep Yadav went for 23 in two overs. India were feeling the pressure, missing the services of Hardik Pandya who was out with a quad niggle.
But an inexplicable rush of wickets - there was (at least) one every over between the 13th and the 18th, including three in Kuldeep's final over as he ended his day with a big broad smile - brought a quick and untimely end to their efforts of stringing the perfect game together in the Asia Cup final.
Jasprit Bumrah, who was moved to have a few words with the Pakistan batters after they came at him during his first spell, wrapped things up and even included a riposte. He brought down Haris Rauf's off stump and celebrated it by miming something going down, much like Rauf himself was doing on the boundary last Sunday, seemingly referring to the military conflict between the two countries earlier this year.
Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of India's bowlers. He bowled the high-pressure overs - one in the powerplay, one after Kuldeep was put under pressure, where he picked up Farhan for 57, and later when the collapse was in full flow, he dismissed Fakhar Zaman for 46 as well. Those two were the only Pakistan batters able to score more than 15 runs
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Bumrah vs Rauf
The first India Pakistan game of this Asia Cup was very sterile, starting with the toss where SKY and Agha didn't even make eye contact. The second one had needle, born of India's decision to not shake hands with Pakistan. The two countries were in military conflict earlier this year and this is the first time they're playing each other since then.
During that second game, Haris Rauf, in response to India fans heckling him on the boundary, seemed to mime planes going down with his hands, referring to those cross-border tensions.
Now, Bumrah uproots his off stump with a yorker and does the same thing to give it back to Rauf, a raised hand, fingers tight together, palm facing down, arcing to the floor.
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Spin is king
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There's been a wicket every over from the 13th.
Pakistan were 107 for 1, tracking towards 177
The last five overs has undone all that.
Pakistan have lost 7 wickets for 27 runs.
They are now 134 for 8 after 17.
Kuldeep has picked up three in an over!
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Pakistan unravelling
Fakhar is gone now. Varun takes him out two balls after practically skirting his off stump. One ball after that near miss, Fakhar launches Varun down the ground for six. But that doesn't sway the bowler off his plans. He keeps bowling the googlies. He keeps angling it out of Fakhar's reach, to deny him his preferred option of hitting leg-side. Soon enough, one of those big cross-bat heaves results in a mis-hit and he's caught at point.
Varun has produced a marvelous spell (3-0-25-2), taking down both of Pakistan's top-scorers. Axar at the other end now has two wickets as well (4-0-26-2). In the middle of all this, Suryakumar raised an appeal for obstructing the field against the Pakistan captain Salman Agha. It was checked by the third umpire and ruled not out. Agha did not change direction to prevent the throw reaching the wicketkeeper's end while taking two runs.
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Back 10 trouble
Pakistan made 87 for 1 in the first 10. They've made 31 for 2 in four overs since. A part of this may be the way Fakhar Zaman is playing. He's faced 31 balls and has scored only 38.
So this game might be following the script from the Super Four game. The underlying factor, of course, is that these overs are the purview of India's spinners, and others who take pace off the ball, on a pitch that is traditionally quite slow. Axar removes Haris, who plays a smashing shot really, coming down the track and extending his defence over extra cover. Just that there's a fielder in the deep and he takes it coolly.
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Kuldeep strikes
India have been saying that a game against Pakistan is just like any other. But in Kuldeep Yadav, there are signs that the pressure this environment brings is on another level.
Usually, Kuldeep is happy for batters to come out and try to hit him. He baits them with his flight. He dares them to hit over the top. After going for 23 in his first two overs, he begins a new spell by trying to hide the ball outside the left-hander's off stump, to the extent that he starts bowling wides.
SKY spots all this and comes over to put an arm around Kuldeep. A couple balls later, there's a wicket. Saim Ayub once again fails to take proper precautions on a cut shot. He was out first ball of the group game between India and Pakistan in this Asia Cup. He's out again, playing the same way.
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Ayub's counter
Saim Ayub has been a bit of a mystery in this Asia Cup. He began as Pakistan's opener, but suffered three ducks. The aggression that he brings is the reason why he's edged out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in this line-up. Finally we are seeing signs of that.
Shivam Dube, who bowled a good new-ball spell, where he got sideways movement, is brought back, India trying to smuggle a tight over in with a new batter at the crease. Ayub, though, remembers that in this format he can't take time to get set. Certainly not when he's facing a bowler like Dube. He torches him for two fours and just like that, Pakistan have the momentum again. At the end of 11 overs, ESPNcricinfo's forecaster suggests Pakistan are on course for 178.
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Varun strikes
He is clearly India's go-to bowler.
Pakistan were getting a head of steam, scoring 32 runs between overs 7, 8 and 9. Kuldeep Yadav, the other X-factor bowler, bowled two of those overs and was taken for 23.
Farhan was looking real dangerous, putting behind a laboured start.
So SKY breaks the glass. He sees the emergency.
Varun comes on and takes Farhan down
The 24 ball sequence here:
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Farhan fifty
To Farhan's credit, he hasn't let the mis-hits cloud his approach. He's been conscious of giving himself room, shifting his balance leg side and from there, a ball even slightly short becomes hittable.
From 26 off 21, he's gone to 50 off 35 and this time he's opted for a simple raise of the bat. Farhan was fined for using his bat to mimic a gun earlier in the tournament upon reaching this same landmark.
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Powerplay blip
ESPNcricinfo logs batter's intent - the number of shots they play looking to get boundaries. It's a subjective exercise though. But it helps, like here, to determine that though Pakistan have tried very hard to hit out, it hasn't really worked.
Farhan attempted 14 aggressive shots and scored only 26 runs with them in the first six overs. Zaman went for only four aggressive shots and scored eight runs. That rounds Pakistan up to 45 for 0 in the powerplay.
Both openers recognise that they need to go harder and target Kuldeep Yadav. His first over - and also the first after the field restrictions have been relaxed - goes for double-digits
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The Varun challenge
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India's mystery spinner bowls the first over without a boundary in the powerplay. Once more, Fakhar and Farhan were unable to pick him out of the hand, instead relying on cross-bat shots.
Also, India have held onto two Bumrah overs for the back-end. A change prompted by Hardik's injury and the stakes in this game.
9 percent - Varun Chakravarthy has been hit for 11 boundaries (7 fours and 4 sixes)in 114 deliveries in the Asia Cup. In other words, just 9% of his balls across the whole tournament have been punishable/punished.
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Pakistan's intent
Pakistan have shown a lot of aggression in the first three overs. Some times they've played a missed, but they are wedded to the idea of scoring as many runs as possible in the powerplay.
That's led to Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman taking a fair few risks - coming down the track, giving up the stumps and swinging so hard there is a sound even when bat completely misses the ball.
When it hits though, it's total THWACK. So much so that Farhan has earned himself a bit of cricket history
1 Farhan is the only batter in the world to hit Jasprit Bumrah for three or more sixes in T20I cricket
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The Dube promotion
India have so far used Jasprit Bumrah as a powerplay weapon - three overs up front in every game he's played at the Asia Cup. But with Hardik Pandya's injury limiting the bowling resources they have, particularly at the back-end of the innings, will they be tempted to revisit frontloading their only available seam bowler?
Shivam Dube bowling in the powerplay, with only two fielders out, and in the death, sounds risky. That said, he's picked up five wickets in four innings in this tournament, including a game-changing display (2-33) against Pakistan themselves during the Super Four stage.
0 times that Shivam Dube has opened the bowling in any format of cricket. He breaks that duck today in the Asia Cup final
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Toss: India bowl
India will nurse a significant loss with Hardik Pandya missing the Asia Cup final with a quad niggle. The team management didn't seem to mind the bowling they will miss out on as they replaced his all-round skills with one of their finishers - Rinku Singh. They'll need to walk that talk early doors after choosing to bowl. Suryakumar Yadav explained the decision by saying the pitch, which has only been used two times in the last three weeks, gets better under lights.
Pakistan's Salman Agha didn't mind batting first, saying that's what they've done all tournament. He admitted that his side - which is unchanged - hasn't put on the perfect game yet but was excited to do so in the final when everything is on the line. The two teams have already met twice in the competition, with India winning both games comfortably. But without their key allrounder, who balances the XI, they go into this one slightly handicapped. Shivam Dube, one of only five recognised bowling options, might be called on to take the new ball with Jasprit Bumrah.
The formalities at the toss required two people this time - Ravi Shastri and Waqar Younis. Shastri interviewed Suryakumar and shook hands. Waqar interviewed Agha and shook hands. The Indian team so far has refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in this Asia Cup after increased political tensions between the two countries.
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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India in Asia Cup finals
The 1984 tournament - the first one - did not have a final.
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Pakistan in Asia Cup finals
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Hardik missing
India are well into their warm-ups and one player seems to be very conspicuous in his absence. Hardik Pandya has spent most of his time at the ground today on the sidelines, just watching his team-mates go about their pre-match routines. He has 48 runs and four wickets from four innings, which doesn't sound like much, but his all-round ability does lend this time the kind of balance that is very hard to replicate. A blow for India if he has to miss out.
Meanwhile, we are hearing that both the toss and the presentation might be conducted by two people, presumably so one can interview the Indian team members and the other can do the Pakistanis.
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Welcome!
So, it's India and Pakistan again, this time for the title and that seems to have sharpened the focus on the cricket. That wasn't the case during their two earlier meetings at this Asia Cup, where political tensions spilled over onto the field of play. It is once again almost certain that the teams won't be shaking hands with each other, indicative of the state of affairs between two countries who were in military conflict earlier this year. (What does that mean if India win, because the trophy is likely to be handed out by Mohsin Naqvi, who is the Asian Cricket Council and the PCB chief)
All that said, a little bit of the old buzz seems to be back. The organisers are expecting a sellout crowd in Dubai, and have even asked for extra hospitality staff to cater to the increased demand. Shashank Kishore, our man on site, reported: "nowhere to be seen until now, hawkers are back with bargain merchandise, and there was commotion around the box office over tickets that appear “sold out” online, but are available for physical purchase."
There's a little something in the air again, and this time, we don't need to hate/troll/be afraid of it.
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