Kuldeep spins magic, India restricts Pakistan to 146 in Asia Cup final

DUBAI: India’s star Kuldeep Yadav’s spin magic restricts Pakistan to 146 in the final of the ongoing T20 Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday. India made a superb comeback with the ball in the second half of the match. After being 113-2 in 12 overs, Pakistan were bowled out for just 33 runs.

India were without star all-rounder Hardik Pandya in the Asia Cup 2025 final. Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha once again avoided the handshake at the toss. Yadav also did not attend the trophy photoshoot with the Pakistan captain before the toss.

After winning the toss, India opted to bowl. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman opened the innings. Shivam Dube took the new ball and conceded only a four in the first over. Farhan swinged and missed mostly in Bumrah’s first over. Four singles and a four came in the third over of the innings off Dube. Pakistan reached 19 from the first three overs.

JASPRIT BUMRAH NOT HOLDING BACK.#indvspak2025 pic.twitter.com/fcPgiA47kR

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Bumrah was taken for a four and a sixer by Farhan in the fourth over. Varun Chakaravarthy conceded only five runs in his first over. Axar Patel bowled the last over of the power play and gave away eight runs. Pakistan steadily reached 45 after the conclusion of the power-play.

Pakistan brought up their fifty in the 7th over as Kuldeep Yadav went for 11 in his first over. Farhan continued to chip away at the boundaries. Farhan brought back-to-back fifties against India. This came in 35 balls.

Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy gave India the first breakthrough as Sahibzada Farhan departed after slamming a half-century. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub were at the crease when Pakistan reached 107/1 in 12 overs against India in the final.

An excellent bowling performance

4⃣ wickets for Kuldeep Yadav
2⃣ wickets each for Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy#TeamIndia need 147 to win

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Yadav, in the following over, got Saim Ayub for 14. The fall of a wicket continued for Pakistan as Mohammad Haris was removed for a duck from Axar Patel in the 14th over. Chakaravarthy, after being dismissed for a six from Fakhar, removed him on the very next ball for 46 in the 15th over. Axar, in his last over, got the second wicket in the fixture, removing Hussain Talat for just one.

Salman Agha’s run drought continued as Yadav removed him for eight runs off seven balls. Yadav, in the same over, removed Shaheen Afridi and Faheem Ashraf for a duck, finishing his spell on 4/30. Indian spinners, including Chakaravarthy, Patel and Yadav, spun a web around Pakistan.

Bumrah bashed Haris Rauf’s off-stump with a yorker to remove him for six, and he did Haris’ dipping flight gesture with a smile.

Brief Scores: Pakistan: 146/10 in 19.1 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 57, Fakhar Zaman 46, Kuldeep Yadav 4/30). (ANI)