India strike twice as Saim Ayub and Mohammad Haris fall early, putting Pakistan under pressure in Asia Cup 2025 final.
India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Final: Pakistan's innings started confidently with Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan out in the middle. Farhan was already 57 out of 38 balls before he got out to Varun Chakravarthy, providing India with the first breakthrough at 84/1 in 9.4 overs. Fakhar Zaman remained not out on 38 out of 31 balls, keeping the hopes alive of Pakistan.
Almost immediately, Saim Ayub got caught by Jasprit Bumrah off Kuldeep Yadav for 14 runs in 11 balls. This second wicket was lost at 113 in 12.5 overs, with Pakistan slightly tottering after a good beginning. The Farhan-Ayub stand had looked good, but India's spinners started tightening the screws.
Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel were brought in to create pressure, with Axar bowling tight lines and creating chances in the middle overs. The accurate bowling of the spinners restricted Pakistan's momentum to a great extent.
In the next over, Mohammad Haris (wk) was caught by Rinku Singh off Axar Patel for a duck at 114/3 in 13.3 overs. The sudden fall of wickets put pressure on Pakistan, disrupting the flow of the batting order. Salman Ali Agha stayed with 1 run, while Fakhar Zaman continued to stabilize the innings.
India's approach of employing the spinners together with good field placements has reaped rewards thus far. The bowlers Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav have been economical in curtailing Pakistan from running freely in the powerplay overs.
Shivam Dube yielded 23 runs in 3 overs, Jasprit Bumrah 18 in 2 overs, Chakravarthy 15 in 2 overs (1 wicket), Axar Patel 19 in 2.5 overs (1 wicket), and Kuldeep Yadav 29 in 3 overs (1 wicket). The spinners have together taken 3 wickets for negligible runs, maintaining the middle overs effectively.
