CHENNAI: Shivam Dube had just been dismissed, trying to smash Faheem Ashraf into the stands. India needed 10 off eight balls to beat Pakistan in the final and Dube went for the glory. As he took the long walk back, India were five down, bringing in Rinku Singh — a batter playing his first match of the tournament — to the middle.
Their hope, here, was Tilak Varma, who was settled and had a fifty next to his name. India trusted the left-hander from Hyderabad to get the ten runs needed off Haris Rauf. He started anxiously with an attempted lap, but off the second ball came the shot that all but sealed the contest and title — a whack into the deep midwicket stands from the meat of the bat. From thereon, it was just a formality with India needing two runs off four balls. Rinku, on the first ball he faced in the tournament, finished off in style.
India have beaten Pakistan by five wickets to win the Asia Cup in Dubai. Tilak, the man of the moment, leapt in the air and let out a roar. He knew what was at stake and what it meant. He came in at the fall of skipper Suryakumar Yadav, watched Shubman Gill fall, but remained calm. Tilak, first with Sanju Samson, and then with Dube, built partnerships, kept India in the chase, before winning the tournament for India.
In the end, it was a final that lived up to the billing that is India-Pakistan. It had drama, right from the moment captains walked out for toss. From Pakistan’s early onslaught with the bat, and then their collapse with Indian spinners doing their deeds to Abhishek Sharma and Suryakumar falling early before Tilak rose to the occasion, it had it all.
When Pakistan walked out to bat, for a while, it seemed like Salman Agha and Co, who had already lost to India twice in the tournament, came out with a nothing to lose attitude. And it only added to the already prevailing tensions in the air. Enough has been said and written about all the controversies that happened during the India-Pakistan clashes in this Asia Cup. And it was time for cricket to take centrestage.
At least that was what every one thought till two presenters walked out for the toss — Ravi Shastri from India and Waqar Younis from Pakistan. It was perhaps for the first time in modern day cricket such a thing had happened. It did so because Pakistan had requested for a neutral presenter at the toss and as a compromise, they had brought in one from each country.
That, however, had little effect on the proceedings. As much as it seemed like Farhan and Fakhar Zaman had the momentum, all India needed was just one breakthrough. And it came on the very next ball after the six as Farhan, who had hit a fifty, was caught in the deep.
And then, it was a familiar script for both India and Pakistan. They tried to ensure there was no collapse and in the process, allowed Kuldeep Yadav to get into rhythm. He removed Saim Ayub and four balls later, Mohammed Haris fell. That was just the beginning. From 113/3, Pakistan would be bowled out for 146 runs, losing nine of their batters for just 33 runs.
In many ways, that sums up the way Pakistan have batted, especially against India. For India, who fielded Bumrah and Dube as their main pacers, it was a validation for their quality spinners and just how far ahead they are in comparison with their Asian counterparts. Kuldeep, once again, brought about his masterclass, taking four wickets.
Granted, the pitch seemed on the slower side, but that in no way justified Pakistan’s thinking when it came to their batting order or their collapse. The only way out for them from hereon is to rock the Indian top-order and test the middle-order that do not have the experience of Pandya. They tried their best, but it just wasn’t enough as the Men in Blue went on to win their ninth Asia Cup title.
Brief scores: Pakistan 146 in 19.1 ovs (Sahibzada 57, Kuldeep 4/30, Bumrah 2/25) lost to India 150/5 in 19.4 ovs (Tilak 69 n.o, Dube 33; Ashraf 3/29).