 "Tilak Varma celebrates after steering India to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the final of the 2025 Asia Cup. Reuters")
Tilak Varma produced the knock of a lifetime as India recovered from a shaky start to defeat Pakistan by five wickets and win the Asia Cup for a record-extending ninth time – becoming the Asian T20 champions for the second time in three editions!
The Men in Blue were off to a disastrous start, having been reduced to 20/3 in the powerplay after being set 147 to win by their arch-rivals. The southpaw, however, brought India back into the contest with a phenomenal 69 not out off 53 deliveries, stitching valuable partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube that were worth 57 and 60 respectively.
This was after the Pakistani batting lineup crumbled like a house of cards under pressure, going from 113/1 to 146 all out. Kuldeep Yadav was the wrecker-in-chief once again, collecting 4/30 including three wickets in his final over, with Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah collecting a couple of wickets each.
India thus defeated Pakistan for the third time in as many meetings in the same tournament and sailed their way to victory by winning seven matches on the trot.
Social media hails Tilak Varma’s phenomenal knock
Here’s how social media reacted to their triumph:
INDIA 🇮🇳 ARE #ASIACUP CHAMPIONS FOR THE NINTH TIME!
Tilak Varma leads the way with a brilliant 69 not out as the Men in Blue defeat Pakistan 🇵🇰 by 5 wickets in a thrilling final
#INDvPAK Final LIVE: https://tinyurl.com/mpebpexz