Asia Cup Final Match: Pakistan Sets 147-Run Target for India

India’s Kuldeep Yadav delivered a brilliant four-wicket haul to help restrict Pakistan to a modest total of 146 runs in the Asia Cup final held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The Indian spinners applied consistent pressure, successfully curbing Pakistan’s top-order batsmen after a promising start during the power play.

Sahibzada Farhan impressed with his second half-century against India, scoring a rapid 57 off 38 balls. However, Varun Chakaravarthy ended the opening partnership by dismissing Farhan, dealing a significant blow to Pakistan’s innings. Farhan and Fakhar Zaman had kept Pakistan steady during the power play, but wickets started to fall following Fakhar’s dismissal by Chakaravarthy in the 15th over.

Pakistan’s innings further faltered as three key players—Mohammad Haris, Shaheen Afridi, and Faheem Ashraf—were dismissed without scoring, intensifying pressure on the Green Shirts.

Earlier, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, who notably declined to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha for the third time, won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

Head-to-head:

Pakistan and India have clashed 15 times in T20 internationals, with India dominating the record by winning 12 matches compared to Pakistan’s three. The ongoing Asia Cup 2025 has seen India win both previous encounters against Pakistan.

Recent Form:

India enters the final with an impressive eight-match winning streak, while Pakistan has suffered two losses in their last five T20Is, both against India.

Pakistan’s recent form: W, W, L, W, L
India’s recent form: W, W, W, W, W