NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday night congratulated Team India on their emphatic Asia Cup final victory over Pakistan, calling it a “historic” win during Navratri and a joyous occasion for 144 crore Indians.Delhi CM said, “From the bottom of my heart, my congratulations to the entire Indian cricket team for winning the Asia Cup. India’s historic victory during this Navratri of Maa Durga is a joyous occasion for the 144 crore people of India.”Meanwhile, a well-compiled half-century by Tilak Varma and his useful partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube helped Team India secure their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth title, including the ODI editions, beating Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final at Dubai on Sunday.
Suryakumar-led Team India extended their dominant T20I run, winning 18 matches while losing just two and tying two since he took over the captaincy. Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) triggered Pakistan’s stunning collapse from 113/1 to 146 all out, despite a strong 84-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls, five fours, three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls, two fours, two sixes).In the chase, India collapsed to 20/3 with an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf (3/29), but Tilak (69* in 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes) strung partnerships with Sanju Samson (24 in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) and Shivam Dube (33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes).During the run-chase of 147 runs, India had a start to forget as Abhishek Sharma’s breakout tournament ended with a whimper, with Haris Rauf catching him at mid-on, giving Faheem Ashraf the first wicket. Abhishek was gone for five-ball five. India was 7/1 in 1.1 overs.Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s lean run in T20Is in 2025 continued as he fell to Shaheen Shah Afridi for just one off five balls. Vice-captain Shubman Gill also departed cheaply, mistiming a shot to Rauf at mid-on for 12 off 10 balls. With India reeling at 20/3 in four overs, memories of the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final loomed large.Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson got some quick runs for India in the next two overs, with Tilak taking down Faheem with a four and six, ending the powerplay with 36 runs on the board. A couple more boundaries followed, and India reached the 50-run mark in 8.1 overs, with a single by Samson.At the end of 10 overs, India was 58/3, with Samson (16*) and Tilak (24*) unbeaten. Within the next two overs, Tilak and Samson collected sixes against spinners, easing the pressure. But an outside edge by Samson landed in the hands of Sahibzada Farhan at the backward point. The 57-run stand was undone, with Samson back in the hut for 21-ball 24, with two fours and a six. India was 77/4 in 12.2 overs. (With agencies inputs)