"Always had faith in them": BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla as India clinch Asia Cup 2025 title

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 29 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajiv Shukla expressed his feelings, saying that he always had faith in the Men in Blue that they would lift the Asia Cup 2025 title.

A well-compiled half-century by Tilak Varma and his useful partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube helped Team India secure their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth title, including the ODI editions, beating Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final at Dubai on Sunday.

Suryakumar-led Team India continues its rampaging run in T20Is, having won 18 T20Is and lost just two and tied two ever since Suryakumar first wore the captaincy armband.

Speaking on India's victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final, Rajeev Shukla told ANI, "I always had faith in the Indian Cricket Team. We are Asia Cup Champions."

Coming to the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. An 84-run stand between Sahidzada Farhan (57 in 38 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 in 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes) gave Pakistan the headstart they needed.

However, thanks to the magic of spinners Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) in the middle overs, Pakistan faced a collapse from 113/1 in 12.4 overs to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Bumrah (2/25) also getting the final two wickets.

During the run-chase, India sank to 20/3 due to an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf. However, Tilak Varma (69* in 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes), stitched a 57-run stand with Sanju Samson (24 in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) to bring India back into the game.

Shivam Dube (33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) delivered some carnage with Tilak, solidifying India's hold on the game despite some occasional brilliance from Pakistan. In the end, it was Rinku Singh, who was featuring in his first Asia Cup match, who got the chance to hit the winning runs on the first ball. (ANI)

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