In the Asia Cup 2025 final, India found themselves in deep trouble after losing 3 wickets for 20 runs on board while chasing a target of 147 runs against Pakistan. Tilak Varma took the initiative and put on a show that won the match after Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and captain Suryakumar Yadav failed to impress in the final.
In addition to praising Tilak's match-winning knock of 69 off 53, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also sarcastically complimented Pakistan bowler Haris Rauf for his assistance.
Rauf suffered a torrid performance in the final after making headlines for his on-field theatrics and gestures during the Super 4 encounter against India. In the title-decider, he became Pakistan's most expensive bowler after conceding 50 runs off 3.4 overs.
Thus, Ashwin was unable to ignore Rauf's pivotal contribution to India's championship victory.
"Tilak Varma absolutely stole the show. He showed that he's made of veins of ice. Outstanding knock. India were in a very precarious situation. Thanks to Haris Rauf, we won the match easily," he said in a video on his YouTube channel.
"Tilak Varma soaked the pressure. He played spin really well. He played sweeps, he was able to hit down the ground. He realised that the bounce on the wicket was a little sticky and started playing square off the wicket. People think that it is easy to hit this shot (six to Rauf) but falling in the line and picking it up is difficult," he added.
Indian spinners Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, who took a combined six wickets in the game, were also praised profusely by Ashwin.
"I would like to give credit to Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. It was a next-level comeback. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave them a superb start. However, this is the difference between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka handled our spinners beautifully and even made the right shot selection. If you look at teams in Asia, Pakistan have very good players of spin. However, it is big match pressure. There are many people in the Indian team who can face this pressure," he said.
"The reason Kuldeep Yadav bowled so well was because the shot that Sanju got out on the same shot in the IPL in Jaipur would have been a six over extra cover. In Dubai, when you bowl slow, the ball sits down and becomes lumpy with more bounce. It takes a top edge. See the example of Saim Ayub, he tried to cut it but it took an edge and Bumrah caught it at point. Wickets like this would never fall in the IPL. Think carefully. That is probably the difference," Ashwin said.
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