India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the Asia Cup on Sunday in Dubai to win the ninth Asia Cup title. Chasing a modest target of 147 under pressure, it was young Tilak Varma who rose to the occasion, crafting a match-winning, unbeaten 69 to steer India home with two balls to spare. India's chase began on a poor note, losing early wickets as Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers made full use of the conditions. Abhishek Sharma fell cheaply, followed soon after by Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav, leaving India in a big problem.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma steadied the innings with a cautious knock, plundering 69 off 53 unbeaten. Alongside contributions from Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, Varma helped rebuild the innings and take India home. Speaking on India's victory, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said his rate was at its peak.
"Heart rate was at its peak; it looked like the heart was going to burst any time," Gavaskar said on India Today.
“What we saw in the first three dismissals was hard to comprehend because it wasn't a big target. You are not chasing 190 or 200, where you need to look to score off just about every delivery. What you needed was to get a nice solid start, not necessarily a 60 or a 50 in the first six overs, but maybe even a 35-40; that's what you needed. But they were 20/3; that's what opened the door for Pakistan, that's what got everyone nervous. If the bowling is very good and the bowler gets you out, then it's another matter. But here the batters were looking to play shots which were not required; that does cause a fair bit of nervousness,” he added.
It was the third meeting between India and Pakistan at the tournament, and India once again steamrolled their bitter rival. Earlier, asked to bat, Pakistan had a splendid start, with Sahibzada Farhan (57) and Fakhar Zaman (46) forging an impressive opening stand of 84 runs. But Indian bowler Kuldeep Yadav (4-30) led Pakistan's collapse, helping his side bowl Pakistan out for 146 in 19.1 overs.