India’s spinners turned the Asia Cup 2025 final into a thriller in Dubai, holding Pakistan to just 146 runs in their T20 chase against a dominant Indian bowling attack. Star spinner Kuldeep Yadav led the charge with a brilliant four-wicket haul, helping India bounce back strong after a shaky start from Pakistan’s openers.
The match kicked off with some pre-game tension. India missed all-rounder Hardik Pandya, but captain Suryakumar Yadav kept his focus sharp. At the toss, Yadav skipped the traditional handshake with Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha and even passed on the trophy photoshoot. India won the toss and chose to bowl first, putting pressure on Pakistan’s batsmen right away.
Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman took guard, facing Shivam Dube with the new ball. Dube kept it tight in his first over, leaking just one four. Jasprit Bumrah came on next, and Farhan edged a few swings before smashing a boundary and a six in the fourth over. Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel kept things economical during the powerplay, as Pakistan reached 45 without losing a wicket.
Pakistan hit their fifty in the seventh over, with Kuldeep Yadav conceding 11 runs in his opening spell. Farhan kept finding the boundary, racing to a quick half-century off 35 balls—his second fifty against India in a row. But Chakaravarthy struck first for India, dismissing Farhan for 57 and giving the team their breakthrough at 107 for one after 12 overs.
The wickets tumbled fast after that. Kuldeep removed Saim Ayub for 14 in the next over, then Axar Patel cleaned up Mohammad Haris for a duck. Fakhar Zaman looked dangerous, slamming a six off Chakaravarthy, but the spinner got him leg-before on the next ball for 46. Axar struck again, sending Hussain Talat back for just one.
Kuldeep’s magic really shone through. He ended Salman Agha’s run drought by getting him for eight, then wiped out Shaheen Afridi and Faheem Ashraf for ducks in the same over. The left-arm wrist spinner finished with stunning figures of 4 for 30, wrapping Pakistan’s middle order in a spin web alongside Chakaravarthy and Patel.
Jasprit Bumrah sealed the collapse with a pinpoint yorker that smashed Haris Rauf’s off-stump, dismissing him for six. Bumrah even flashed a cheeky dipping flight gesture with a smile as Pakistan folded for 146 all out in 19.1 overs.
India’s bowlers, especially the spinners, dominated the India vs Pakistan cricket showdown, setting up an exciting chase in this high-stakes T20 Asia Cup final.
Brief scores: Pakistan 146 all out in 19.1 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 57, Fakhar Zaman 46; Kuldeep Yadav 4/30).
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
