By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: India edged arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in a final-over thriller to claim a record-extending ninth Asia Cup title on Sunday, but the victory turned farcical when the winners boycotted the trophy presentation by Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi.
The first-ever India-Pakistan final in the 41-year-old tournament’s history unfolded at Dubai International Cricket Stadium amid simmering tensions, with no handshakes at the toss or post-match — a stance India held across three meetings this edition.
Chasing 147, India crashed to 3-20 in four overs after opener Abhishek Sharma (5) fell caught off Faheem Ashraf, followed by Shubman Gill (12) to the same bowler and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (1) to Shaheen Afridi.
Sharma, the tournament’s leading scorer with 314 runs in seven innings at 44.85 and a strike rate of 200, flopped badly, while Yadav’s poor campaign closed on 72 runs. Reeling at 3-36 after the powerplay against a Pakistan side that had hit 1-113 batting first, India rallied through Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 off 53 balls — featuring three fours and four sixes — to reach 150-5 in 19.4 overs.
Varma, who hit 50 off 41, first steadied with Sanju Samson (24 off 21, one six) in a 57-run stand off 50 balls, ended when Samson was caught off Abrar Ahmed in the 13th over. The decisive blow landed in a 60-run alliance off 40 balls with Shivam Dube (33 off 22, two fours, two sixes).
Needing 10 off Haris Rauf’s final over, Varma blasted eight — including his fourth six — off the first two balls, before Rinku Singh sealed it with a four off his only delivery, two balls to spare. Pakistan’s 146 all out in 19.1 overs had teetered from promise to peril, slumping from 1-113 to lose nine wickets for 33 runs in 39 balls.
Openers Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38, five fours, three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35) forged an 84-run platform, with Farhan’s second fifty of the event — both versus India — lifting them to 87-1 at halfway and past 100 in 11.2 overs. But Saim Ayub’s 14 proved the lone other double-digit score as the collapse hit. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4-30) ignited it in his closing spell, bagging Salman Agha (8), Afridi (0) and Ashraf (0).
“They had a great start at like 100-1,” Kuldeep said. “But we knew if you get a couple quick wickets, new batters will find it tough to carry the momentum. I was bowling my final over and looking to get them out.” Varun Chakravarthy snared Farhan caught in the deep in the 10th and Zaman in the 15th for the killer blow; Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel took two each, Bumrah the last.
India’s second Asia Cup win since 2016 — and ninth overall since 1984 across formats — capped a sweep of Pakistan in group and Super Four stages. Ties thawed for the tournament months after a May border flare-up halted the IPL and Pakistan Super League. Pakistan stuck with their lineup; India sat Hardik Pandya (niggle) for Singh, recalling Bumrah and Dube for Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.
The 10:30 pm finish dragged to near-midnight for a presentation mired in standoff. As Pakistan retreated, India lingered amid diehard fans. Naqvi — also Asian Cricket Council president and Pakistan’s interior minister — haggled with officials before the stage rose. An aide then spirited the trophy away unannounced. Individuals Kuldeep, Sharma and Varma collected from other VIPs, blanking Naqvi, who withheld claps.
Pakistan skipper Agha took the runners-up cheque, posing with Naqvi, before host broadcaster presenter Simon Doull cut it short. “I have been informed by the ACC that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight,” Doull said. “So that does conclude the post-match presentation.”
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia pinned it on the ACC Saturday notice of Naqvi’s handover role. “We have decided not to take the Asia Cup trophy from the ACC chairman, who happens to be one of the main leaders of Pakistan,” Saikia told ANI. “So we decided not to take it from him. But that does not mean that the gentleman will take away the trophy with him, along with the medals. So it is very unfortunate and we hope that the trophy and the medals will be returned to India as soon as possible.”
Suryakumar, at the presser, called it unprecedented. “I think this is one thing which I have never seen since I started playing cricket, started following cricket, that a champion team is denied a trophy, that too a hard earned one,” he said. “I feel we deserved it. I can’t say anything more, I’ve summed it up really well. If you tell me about trophies, my trophies are sitting in the dressing room, all the 14 guys with me, the support staff, those are the real trophies throughout this journey in the Asia Cup.”
The snub mirrored no-handshake rows, with Pakistan coach Mike Hesson and Agha slamming India — fines hit Suryakumar for post-first-game barbs and Rauf for Super Four antics.
Breaking convention, with the losing side usually speaking first, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha followed India to the media more than two hours after the match — by then, the team bus had departed with the players and staff. Agha later left in a private car with the team’s media manager. “If the ACC has a president, then it’s his job to give the trophy. If you don’t want to take it from him, then how else will you get it?” Agha asked.
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