India 212 for 5 (Samson 68*, Tilak 54) beat Pakistan 211 all out (Zaman 74, Chakravarthy 3-36, Yadav 3-41) by five wickets
India swatted aside the noise and, more importantly, Pakistan’s middle order to claim a five-wicket victory in the Asia Cup final at a warm, slightly tense Dubai International Stadium. The trophy is their eighth in this competition, yet the talking points were as much about temperament as talent.
First, the facts. Pakistan raced to 100 for 1 inside 11 overs, Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan threatening to turn the contest into a parade. Then the brakes: Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav combined for six wickets, their mix of length, pace and serious nerve dragging the innings back to a manageable 211. India’s reply wobbled at 38 for 3 in the powerplay before Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma stitched together 112, easing India home with nine balls to spare.
Varun, smiling but still catching his breath, told the host broadcaster:
“Yeah, I feel great. Definitely, at that time, I was going for the wickets, and Fakhar [Zaman] and Sahibzada Farhan were going well. Yes, I had done some plans, and it worked out and the way Kuldeep came and finished – yeah, it gave me memories of KKR, when we were playing together. He’s always a star. He’s the best one of the best spinners.”
He also reminded viewers that modern white-ball cricket rewards patience as much as panache. “If you see the trend in the last few matches, [in] the first ten overs, everyone is going berserk if they don’t lose wickets. After that, we knew that if we bowl on the right space, and [on the] right line and length, we can curtail them. And obviously, I would like to mention Hari [team analyst]. He’s a guy who’s done a lot of work behind the scenes, and due credit to him also.”
Kuldeep, who ripped through the middle overs with that familiar side-spin whip, agreed:
“Of course, it’s very important to bowl [well] in the middle overs. And, of course, me, Varun and Axar playing together is obviously a luxury to have. Everyone has a different role, so obviously they started really well, after 10-11 overs, they were like 100 for 1. We knew that if we get a couple of early wickets; probably not early, but after ten overs, we got a couple of wickets from him [Varun]. Obviously, it’s not going be easy for [a] new better to come and score runs easily. Obviously, when I was bowling in the fourth over, I was looking to get them out.”
The left-armer credited analyst Hari as well, saying: “Before the game, he [Hari] just sent the screenshot of the lengths of the lengths where we’re going to bowl to the batters. Especially, big thanks to Hari, and obviously [a] masterclass from Tilak – he was unbelievable today.”
Pakistan’s collapse prompted TV pundit Aakash Chopra to shrug and label it “Clueless batting from Pakistan”, a comment backed up by Varun Aaron and Urooj Mumtaz in the studio. Their tone was direct rather than gleeful; a sense that a side featuring this much talent should not crumble so regularly.
Samson, standing tall at the presentation with an unbeaten 68, put the chase into plain language:
“Yeah, I really enjoyed the pressure actually. I have not played many India-Pakistan games, but today, I think the pressure was all over there. Three wickets down in the powerplay, so I just had to use my experience, calm the nerves down, and just watch the ball and react. That’s what I did, and it came off nicely. I think I had a really good partnership with Tilak, and really enjoyed playing the game today.”
He added, almost in tutorial mode: “As you all know that the game dictates what type of cricket you need to play, and according to the conditions, you have to respect the conditions, you have to respect the situation. I think that’s what we have learned. Years and years of IPL, years and years of cricket, and that’s what cricket has taught us. So I just had to go out there and then look to time the ball, and that’s what really helped me.”
Those tight finishes, Samson feels, build character. “Closer ones [games] are really good. That’s when your characters are being tested and that’s when you also get to test your own mental abilities. So I think that’s a really good awareness which we had just before the World Cup. I think this game was really crucial. Some of these knockout games do actually prepare us for the big games coming a few months ago [later]. And you’ve made some potent contributions.”
Shubman Gill, who hit the winning boundary, simply told the cameras: “[Feels] pretty amazing. The whole tournament unbeaten, so it feels pretty amazing to be here in this position. Pretty amazing [to play with Abhishek…”
Plenty for both camps to chew over. Pakistan must figure out why early momentum evaporates once the ball softens, while India will wonder whether this composure can be replicated when the World Cup lights are even brighter. For now, though, the silverware and the smiles belong to Rohit Sharma’s men.
