Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Suryakumar Yadav and Co. on their Asia Cup triumph, which saw them beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
PM Modi took a brutal dig at Pakistan in his congratulatory tweet for the Men In Blue. "Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same - India wins! Congrats to our cricketers," the Prime Minister wrote on X.
India had met Pakistan thrice in the tournament and beat them on all occasions. The previous two matches were at the Group and Super Four stage, both of which were one-sided encounters.
The final, however, was a challenging contest for both the sides but Tilak Varma remained firm and guided the team to a thrilling victory. The outcome also helped India win their ninth Asia Cup title.
Tilak Varma returned unbeaten on 69 off 53 balls to power India home. His well-composed innings, laced with three 4s and four 6s helped India wrap the tensed 147-chase with two balls to spare.
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He found great support from Shivam Dube, who had a fantastic tournament, as far his all-round credentials are concerned. The duo added a blistering 60-run stand for the fifth wicket as Dube hammered 33 off 22 before getting out to Faheem Ashraf, who finished the contest with three scalps.
Meanwhile, the tournament was filled with political messaging and the Prime Minister's tweet adds more fuel to it. The tension began when Suryakumar Yadav and his troop refused to engage in customary handshake in the group stage, leading to massive controversy. The Indian captain then dedicated the win to the Indian Armed Forces and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims of Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
The tension further heightened as Pakistan players took it a step further and passed provocative gesture towards the Indian spectators. Haris Rauf and Faheem were spotted signaling 6-0 to the fans, referring to Pakistan's unsubstantial claim of bringing down India's six fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.
However, India have the final laugh in the exchange as Jasprit Bumrah avenged it in the final as he was seen mocking Haris Rauf after uprooting his stumps with a crushing yorker.
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