Asia Cup 2025: "Premium bowler.." Abhishek Sharma takes dig at Pakistan bowlers after winning final

Abhishek Sharma won Player of the Tournament award in Asia Cup 2025.

Indian Cricket Team outplayed Pakistan Cricket Team in Asia Cup 2025 final on Sunday, September 28, to clinch the title. Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, who finished as the highest run-scorer of the tournament, was adjudged Player of the Tournament.

Abhishek took a dig at Pakistan bowlers after the victory, saying that he always has a plan to attack from the start, even if he faces any premium pacer bowler. It was a dig directed at Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi, whose video recently went viral over social media, where he termed himself as a premium fast bowler.

Talking about the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pakistan were off to a brilliant start, with their openers Sahibzada Farhan (57) and Fakhar Zaman (46) building a stand of 84 runs. However, the rest of the batters completely failed to follow up on their good start, losing their wickets cheaply.

Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav captured a four-wicket haul to dismantle Pakistan batters. Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel clinched two wickets each to bundle Pakistan for 146 runs.

During the chase, India lost their top three batters Abhishek (5), Shubman Gill (12), and Suryakumar Yadav (1) within the powerplay overs, reaching 20/3 on the scoreboard at one stage.

However, Tilak Varma (69*) and Sanju Samson (24) batted patiently to pull the team out of pressure, while Shivam Dube added crucial 33 runs. The Men in Blue eventually chased down the target by five wickets in the final over to emerge as champions of the tournament.

Abhishek Sharma takes a dig at Pakistan bowlers after the victory

During the post-match presentation, Abhishek said that he always looks to attack in the powerplay overs even if he faces premium fast bowlers, hinting towards Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi. He also thanked skipper Suryakumar Yadav and coach Gautam Gambhir for supporting him during the tournament.

“I had a plan if I get the spinners in the powerplay I will try to use the powerplay, even any premium fast bowlers, I would go from the first ball no matter who’s the bowler,” he said.

“Getting into this team after winning the World Cup wasn’t easy for any opener, I worked very hard on my game and you need the support of the coach and captain, I was getting that from the start of the tournament. If I get a start, my team should win. Sometimes you are going to fail but you have to follow the process,” he added.

Notably, Indian players did not receive the trophy after the match. Moreover, Suryakumar Yadav did not attend the post-match presentation. Tilak Varma was adjudged Player of the Match for his match-winning fifty in the encounter.

Abhishek finished as leading run-scorer of the tournament with 314 runs, while Kuldeep ended as the highest wicket-taker with 17 scalps. The Men in Blue were unbeaten during the tournament, winning seven games in a row. India clinched their ninth title in the Asia Cup history.

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