India initially found themselves on the back foot
India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a tight affair to win their ninth Asia Cup title.
It was the third meeting between the sides in the tournament, with India winning the previous two times.
India entered the final with an unbeaten record in the 2025 Asia Cup.
However, they faced a big setback with all-rounder Hardik Pandya being ruled out of the final due to injury.
Rinku Singh was brought in as his replacement, while Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube also returned to the playing eleven.
Pakistan, on the other hand, fielded an unchanged squad from their previous match.
In a match filled with tension, India won the toss and elected to bowl first, with skipper Suryakumar Yadav saying:
“We will bowl first. It looks a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights.
“We have been batting well first, but we would like to chase today.
“The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here.
“The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last five to six games is pretty good.”
India initially found themselves on the back foot, as Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman laid a formidable foundation.
By the 13th over, Pakistan were 113-1.
A 200-run total seemed well within reach on a batting-friendly Dubai pitch.
However, the dismissal of Saim Ayub by Kuldeep Yadav opened the floodgates for a catastrophic batting collapse.
Pakistan scored just 29 more runs as their remaining batters crumbled under the pressure of India’s bowlers.
Kuldeep Yadav was the chief destroyer, finishing with figures of 4 for 30. He was ably supported by Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy, who each picked up two crucial wickets.
India had a target of 147 but their chase got off to a rocky start.
Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Afridi struck early, removing Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav.
Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson settled things down and steadily scored runs for India. At the halfway point, India were 58-3.
The match was tensely poised as India required 47 runs in 30 balls.
India continued to score runs but as they neared the end of their innings, the match was set for a nail-biting finish. With two overs left, the side needed 17 runs.
India looked to be closing in on victory when Shivan Dube was dismissed for 33 as it reached the final over.
Varma stepped up for the occasion with an unbeaten 69. Alongside Rinku Singh, India’s batsmen held their nerve to see India home, reaching 150 with two balls to spare.
It meant India defeated their rivals for a third time in the tournament, however, the final was far closer than the previous two encounters.
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