Jammu streets come alive after India’s Asia Cup glory
STATE TIMES NEWS
DUBAI: Tilak Varma, the sinewy left-hander from the city of Nizams, produced a heady cocktail of chutzpah and discretion to guide India to their ninth Asia Cup title, following a five-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final here on Sunday.
Needing 10 off the last over, Tilak deposited the controversial trouble monger Haris Rauf into mid-wicket stands before Rinku Singh, getting his first hit of the tournament, sent the Indian fans into delirium with a winning boundary.
Having slumped to 20 for three inside first five overs, Tilak (69 not out off 53 balls) was composed and audacious in equal measure with Sanju Samson (24) and Shivam Dube (33 off 21 balls ) proving to be brilliant support casts as India chased down 147 in 19.4 overs.
The tension was immense due to off-field events leading up to the final but this Indian team led by Suryakumar Yadav and guided by Gautam Gambhir walked the talk when it came to upping the fearlessness quotient in a pressure cooker scenario with stands on a boiling point and fans engaging in fisticuffs.
If Kuldeep Yadav (17 wickets in tournament) wreaked havoc that saw Pakistan lose their last nine wickets for a mere 33 runs, Tilak displayed unusual calm after the team suffered its first top-order collapse.
He added 57 with Samson and another 60 runs with Dube to continue India’s supremacy against Pakistan across white ball formats in the past few years.
The decisive point in the game was the 15th over bowled by Haris Rauf (0/50 in 3.4 overs) which yielded as many as 17 runs.
It started with Dube slapping Rauf through the covers and Tilak hitting a ramrod straight drive before a pick-up pull behind square increased the pacer’s woes. So much so head coach Mike Hesson was agitated that he was bowling the wrong line.
Rauf, one of the biggest reasons for escalating tensions between two teams, was pulled into the mid-wicket stands by Dube with 17 needed off last two overs.
‘Law of Averages’ was suppose to catch up with Abhishek Sharma (5) sooner or later and Pakistan’s new ball bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Faheem Ashraf were clever enough to bowl a lot of slower deliveries.
Abhishek, who likes to hit through the line and on the rise, was finding it difficult to connect and lobbed one to mid-on. Suryakumar Yadav (1) and Shubman Gill (12) also perished trying to meet the slower deliveries early as India were left tottering at 20 for three.
Samson (24 off 21 balls) got into the groove with a cover drive off Shaheen while Tilak whipped a Faheem delivery outside leg-stump into the deep fine leg stand.
When Abrar Ahmed came into the attack, Tilak slog swept him over cow corner for a maximum as the duo added 50 runs for the fourth wicket.
However just as he was gaining confidence having hit Saim Ayub for a six, Samson was out trying to hit Abrar against the turn.
Jammu city erupted in joy as India clinched a stunning victory against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final, sparking celebrations across Jammu. Streets were filled with cheering fans waving the Tricolour, bursting crackers, and chanting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “India! India!”
From Raghunath Bazaar to Gandhi Nagar, jubilant crowds danced to Dhol beats, celebrating the emphatic win that saw India outclass arch-rivals Pakistan with a dominant performance. Cricket enthusiasts gathered at tea stalls, public screens, and community halls to witness the historic moment.
Local youth took out bike rallies, while several residents distributed sweets in their neighbourhoods. Social media in the region was flooded with congratulatory messages and patriotic fervour.
India refused to accept the winners’ trophy from ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be Pakistan’s interior minister and chairman of the country’s cricket board.
As Naqvi stood on one side for the presentation ceremony to begin, Indian players were standing within 15 yards, refusing to budge from their places and the formalities were being inordinately delayed. It was learnt that Indian team management asked who was supposed to present the winners’ trophy and ACC went into a huddle knowing that their boss wasn’t an acceptable name for the champions. Once Naqvi took the presentation stage, Indian fans in the stands started booing collectively with chants of “Bharat Maata Ki Jai”.
Once Naqvi took the dais, he was informed that Indian team won’t accept the trophy if he tries to force himself and an official protest would be lodged. As Naqvi waited, suddenly, someone from organisers took the trophy inside the dressing room.
Having not shaken hands with Pakistani players throughout the three Asia Cup games and also avoided the customary pre-toss photoshoot, the Indian team had sent the message to ACC that it won’t accept the trophy from the ACC chairman.