Dubai

Following India's Asia Cup title win over arch-rivals Pakistan, Men in Blue's match-winners Tilak Varma, who played an unbeaten 69* run knock and all-rounder Shivam Dube who contributed a vital 33-run cameo, spoke on how they replied to Pakistan's provocative antics and talks with their bat and did not give them a chance to speak.

The India-Pakistan rivalry, despite its largely one-sided track record leaning towards India in recent years, continues to give excitement as it took a patient, well-calculated 69* from Tilak and half-century partnerships with Sanju Samson and Dube to drag India out of troubled waters from 20/3 to a successful run-chase of 147 runs after spin magic of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel made Pakistan collapse from 113/1 to 146 all out.

The India-Pakistan matches throughout the tournament saw a lot of aggression from both sides, with a major highlight coming in the finals when Jasprit Bumrah performed an 'airplane crash' celebration after taking wicket of Haris Rauf, who had just days back, used his fingers to point out '6-0' to the crowd, referencing to Pakistan's groundless claims of downing six Indian airplanes during Operation Sindoor in May launched by Indian Armed Forces in response to Pahalgam Terror attacks in April.

Speaking in a video by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Shivam lauded Tilak for the way he built his innings and asked Tilak on his mindset when he walked in to bat.

Tilak said, "When I went in to bat, I was under a lot of pressure. They were missing the pace with slower balls and quicker ones. They were missing the lengths nicely and I was waiting for my lengths. I was like, stay patient. I was looking to play in the gaps. It was in my mind the longer I stay, the better because opposition is always under pressure when we bat, then he (Dube and Sanju) made my work easier."

Further adding to how he responded to Pakistan's aggressive gestures and antics, Tilak said, "They were speaking a lot since the start, they saw my reply with the bat, they are not visible on the ground."

Dube, who played a crucial 22-ball 33 with two fours and two sixes and contributed three vital overs and gave away 23 runs while using the new ball, said that when he came out to bat, he knew he had to do something big within the short time frame he had on the crease.

"I know when I play, I will get a very few balls, and I have to do something big. It was important that I hit two sixes and take the game close to run-a-ball. I got a fine boundary to start off. I had the power. My bat did its work, and they (Pakistan) did not get a chance to speak," he said.

The all-rounder said that behind his success as a bowler, taking five wickets at an average of 20.20 with his best figures of 3/4, lies the faith and confidence of his captain and coach, as well as the blessings of his fans.

"I felt I was given a chance to do something new during the final (with the new ball), and it was fun," he concluded.

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 Jasprit Bumrah (2/25) also getting the final two wickets.

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During the run-chase, India sank to 20/3 due to an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). 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. Tilak walked away with the 'Player of the Match' honours and India secured their second T20I Asia Cup title and overall ninth, including ODI editions.