India vs Pakistan: Spinners trigger epic Pakistan collapse; India needs 147 to win Asia Cup 2025 final

A roller-coaster start to the Asia Cup 2025 final and at the innings break, this is India's game to lose. Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl at the toss but Pakistan started brilliantly through Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman to set up the base for their side. However, Kuldeep Yadav (4-30), Axar Patel (2-26) and Varun Chakaravarthy (2-30) spun a web around Pakistan whose middle-overs batting was shocking to say the least. From a comfortable 113/1, they self-destructed to 146 all out, undoing all the good work done by Farhan and Zaman.

The early battle was won by Farhan and Zaman as Pakistan got to 45/0 in the PowerPlay, thereby ticking a big box in their favour. Farhan in particular looked in top form and once again won his battle against Jasprit Bumrah. India's main strike bowler had a lacklustre new-ball spell where he got hit for a few boundaries and also a six. Even after the field spread, Farhan continued to motor along while Zaman smartly played second fiddle even while hitting the odd boundary himself. It took some brave bowling from Chakaravarthy to break the 84-run opening stand as Farhan holed out to long-on but by then, the opener had done his job.

Zaman, meanwhile, started to up the ante while Saim Ayub also got off the blocks quickly. In the 13th over, with the score at 113/1, Pakistan would have been eyeing a target in excess of 180, if not 185. However, like it happened in the Super Fours fixture, the batting imploded as India's spinners wrecked havoc in the middle overs. With the dry surface allowing the ball to hold a bit, batting in the second half of the innings wasn't going to be easy. Chakaravarthy's bold approach is what got him the big wicket of Zaman and once he fell, the innings crashed.

Kuldeep, who had an expensive start to the evening, picked up three wickets in his final over to derail Pakistan's charge. It was a collapse of epic proportions for Salman Ali Agha's men who couldn't stop the procession of wickets. Eventually, they weren't even able to get past 150 and got bowled out with five deliveries still remaining. This collapse will haunt Pakistan, because India were struggling at the 10-over mark, more so with Hardik Pandya's absence putting them light in the bowling department. The spinners, though, took the responsibility and pounced on some hapless batting from Pakistan.

Brief scores: Pakistan 146 all out in 19.1 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 57, Fakhar Zaman 46; Kuldeep Yadav 4-30, Axar Patel 2-26) vs India