India’s spin stars Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are giving a big shoutout to team analyst Hari Prasad Mohan for his crucial behind-the-scenes work that helped secure India’s ninth Asia Cup title in Dubai.
In the thrilling final against Pakistan on Sunday, India’s spin trio—Axar Patel (2-26), Varun (2-30), and Kuldeep (4-30)—dominated the slow Dubai pitch. They combined for eight wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 146. India chased the target with ease, thanks to Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69, plus solid knocks from Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, clinching a five-wicket victory and wrapping up an unbeaten tournament.
Varun kicked things off by breaking Pakistan’s dangerous 84-run opening stand. He dismissed opener Sahibzada Farhan for 57 off 38 balls, putting India back in control. Axar struck in the middle overs, while Kuldeep tore through Pakistan’s middle order, dismantling their power hitters.
Kuldeep credited Hari’s prep work after the win. “Before the game, he sent a screenshot of the exact lengths where we could target the Pakistan batters,” Kuldeep said. Varun echoed that praise: “I want to mention Hari, our team analyst. He put in tons of work behind the scenes, and he deserves full credit.”
Pakistan chose to bat first and looked strong early, with Farhan and Fakhar Zaman building a solid partnership that had India on the edge. But Varun’s mystery spin changed everything, tipping the scales. From 113 for 2, Pakistan crumbled to 146 all out as India pressed the advantage.
Bowling alongside Kuldeep brought back fond memories for Varun from their Kolkata Knight Riders days in the IPL. “I felt great out there,” Varun said. “Fakhar and Farhan were going strong, but I had some plans, and they worked. Then Kuldeep came in and finished the job. It reminded me of our KKR time—he’s always been a star.”
Kuldeep’s dominance shone throughout the Asia Cup, where he topped the wicket charts with 17 scalps at an average of 9.29. Varun grabbed seven wickets at 20.42. Varun didn’t hold back on praising his teammate: “He’s one of the best spinners in the world. In recent matches, batsmen go wild in the first 10 overs without losing wickets. We knew that if we hit the right lines and lengths after that, we could shut them down.”
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