High drama unfolded after India’s five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final on Sunday. The Indian players declined to collect the winner’s trophy and individual medals during the presentation ceremony. A standoff arose after Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and the country’s Interior Minister, insisted on presenting the trophy.
India objected, leading to a delay of over an hour before the ceremony concluded without any trophy handover. On the field, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube’s vital partnership proved decisive, rescuing India from a precarious situation and guiding them to their ninth Asia Cup title. Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi struck early, removing Sharma, Yadav, and Gill for single-digit scores in the powerplay.
Alongside Dube, Varma also forged an important stand with Sanju Samson, steadying the innings and paving the way for India’s triumph.
Kuldeep Yadav Sparks Pakistan’s Collapse, India Restrict Them To 146
Earlier in the match, Kuldeep Yadav spearheaded India’s bowling attack with a four-wicket haul as Pakistan collapsed dramatically after a solid start, losing nine wickets for just 33 runs and eventually being bundled out for 146 in 19.1 overs in the Asia Cup final at Dubai. Pakistan had begun strongly, with Sahibzada Farhan top-scoring with 57 and Fakhar Zaman adding 46.
However, once the partnership was broken, the innings unraveled quickly. Kuldeep received excellent support from Jasprit Bumrah (2/25), Varun Chakravarthy (2/30), and Axar Patel (2/26), who sliced through the batting order with ease. Apart from Saim Ayub, who managed to reach double digits, none of the remaining batters offered any resistance as India’s bowlers tightened their grip.
India faced a setback ahead of the final with Hardik Pandya ruled out due to a niggle, paving the way for Rinku Singh to come into the XI. The team also welcomed back Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube, who replaced Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. On the other hand, Pakistan opted to stick with the same lineup that had defeated Bangladesh in their previous outing.
This clash marked the third meeting between India and Pakistan within just 15 days in the 2025 tournament. India had dominated both earlier encounters, cruising to a seven-wicket win in the group stage and following it up with a six-wicket victory in the Super Four round.
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