Asia Cup 2025, Final: Arshdeep, Jitesh, Harshit mimic Abrar Ahmed's trademark celebration as India defeat Pakistan

Published - 29 Sept 2025, 01:21 IST | Updated - 29 Sept 2025, 01:21 IST

Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana took a playful dig at Pakistan cricketer Abrar Ahmed after India clinched the Asia Cup 2025 final, defeating Pakistan by five wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 28.

The left-arm pacer mimicked Ahmed’s signature head shake and his teammates joined in the fun. In an Instagram video shared via Arshdeep’s account, wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson was also seen laughing at the antics of his fellow cricketers.

A post shared by Arshdeep Singh (@_arshdeep.singh__)

Varma’s heroics ignite celebration as IND wins Asia Cup

On the field, India lifted the Asia Cup for the ninth time, thanks to a match-winning performance by Tilak Varma. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 69 from 53 balls, including three fours and four sixes, guiding India to victory. He received crucial support from Shivam Dube, who scored 33, and Sanju Samson, who added 24 runs. Faheem Ashraf was Pakistan’s standout bowler, finishing with three wickets for 29 runs.

In the first innings, Pakistan posted 146 all out in 19.1 overs as Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 57 runs from 38 balls, hitting five fours and three sixes, while Fakhar Zaman contributed 46 and Saim Ayub added 14. The rest of Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled, with all other batters dismissed for single-digit scores.

India’s bowling attack dominated throughout. Kuldeep Yadav was the star, taking 4/30, while Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Axar Patel contributed two wickets each.

With this win, India completed the Asia Cup with an unbeaten record, winning all seven matches in the tournament. The Men in Blue also defeated Pakistan three times in this edition, asserting their dominance over their arch-rivals.

India will now look into their next assignment which is a two-match Test series against West Indies starting on October 2 at Ahmedabad while Pakistan will head back home to play a two-match Test series against South Africa starting October 12.