India won the final of the Asia Cup 2025 playing street-smart cricket while displaying control with the ball and composure with the bat.
After Pakistan’s meltdown from 113/1 within the 13th over of their innings to a modest 146, Tilak Varma finished a chase that wobbled at 20/3 within the fourth over. Even under pressure the Indian team refused to panic and took home their ninth Asia Cup title.
The hinge of the game was India’s brilliant control in the middle overs, especially with the ball. Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel established it, while Jasprit Bumrah sealed it. The chase displayed the supreme temperament reflected through Tilak Varma’s 69*, while being sandpapered by handy support acts.
Report Card of Indian Players in Asia Cup 2025 Final
Abhishek Sharma – 2.5/10
The southpaw had been the backbone of the domination that India displayed throughout the tournament. In nearly all the matches, it was Abhishek Sharma’s destruction at the top that finished off the games as a competition very early. However, in the final, Sharma failed to leave the same impact falling early to a deceptive slower one from Faheem Ashraf. But in the field, the youngster showed sharpness and did not let any mishaps happen. So, the rating is more due to his presence on the field.
Shubman Gill – 3/10
After the early fall of Abhishek Sharma, India needed Shubman Gill to stay in the middle and carve out the chase. The batter looked in good touch too, but threw away his wicket in a moment of crisis going for the glamour shot over mid-on. The lack of match awareness and failure to bat as per the demands results in his poor rating.
Suryakumar Yadav – 4/10
If only his batting was considered then the Indian skipper might have received negative ratings. Being one of the premium batters of the format, the leader of the unit and a backbone of the team, it was expected that Suryakumar Yadav would bail the team out of trouble after the early fall of Abhishek Sharma. Instead, Yadav tried to go for a big shot and fell cheaply putting the team under further pressure.
However, while fielding, Surya displayed decent captaincy skills. He did not lose the plot even when Pakistan were going strong and religiously stuck to his plans. This was crucial in the way the game changed momentum in the first innings.
Tilak Varma – 10/10
Anything less than a full rating would be an injustice to the extraordinary knock that Tilak Varma delivered a knock of a lifetime under pressure. He played the dual role of a stabilizer and a finisher on the biggest night and stayed there till the end guiding India to their ninth Asia Cup title.
Sanju Samson – 6/10
The wicketkeeper-batter played a crucial role in stabilizing the ship of India with Tilak Varma. Sanju Samson showed the maturity to tone down his approach and batting as per the demands of the game. However, he could have attained a higher rating if he managed to stay the distance with the southpaw seeing India through without further damage.
Shivam Dube – 8/10
The left-handed batter played the perfect innings down the order after the stage was set by the partnership between Sanju and Tilak. Shivam Dube took the risks at the right time and kept the pressure off Varma allowing him to go the distance and finish off the match for India. Besides his utility with the bat, the way he shouldered the new ball responsibility due to the sudden absence of Hardik Pandya certainly deserves credit.
Rinku Singh – 7/10
The KKR star faced only one ball in the tournament and finished off the game for India with a boundary. Although, there was not much to judge on his batting, the fact that he stayed unnerved in the situation deserves a pat. Rinku Singh also patrolled the fence brilliantly and pulled off two crucial catches in the deep, adding further to his rating.
Axar Patel – 8/10
The spin bowling all-rounder provided the calm in India’s bowling effort when Pakistan were apparently running away with the match. Axar Patel starved the batters of singles and forced them to take undue risks. His spell of 26 for 2 from four overs was very important in restricting the Pakistan line-up to a below par total.
Kuldeep Yadav – 9/10
The left-arm spinner was taken to the smithereens in the first three overs of his spell. But that did not faze Kuldeep Yadav. He stuck his basics and the fourth over turned out to be a game changing one. While Chakaravarthy initiated it and Axar provided the support, Kuldeep was the architect of the collapse in the Pakistan innings that laid the foundation of India’s win.
Jasprit Bumrah – 7/10
The ace pacer and the prime trump card of the Indian bowling, Jasprit Bumrah failed to play the lead role that was expected out of him. However, he cleaned up the tail and put the final nail in Pakistan’s coffin while batting.
Varun Chakaravarthy – 8/10
Pakistan started with a brilliant platform laid by their openers. If the duo batted for a few more overs they would have taken the game away from India. However, Varun Chakaravarthy picked up the two openers and initiated the collapse that established India’s control on the game.