BOOED, SNUBBED, SHAMED: NAQVI'S ASIA CUP EXIT

India's ninth Asia Cup triumph turned into Mohsin Naqvi's night of humiliation after the champions refused to accept the trophy from him.

- AGENCIES

India sealed a flawless 3-0 sweep over Pakistan to lift a record-extending ninth Asia Cup, winning the Dubai final by five wickets after restricting the Men in Green to 146.

Tilak Varma’s composed, unbeaten 69 anchored the chase after an early wobble, while Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel dismantled Pakistan's innings with a coordinated spin squeeze. The sporting triumph, however, slid into controversy when Team India declined to accept the trophy from Asian Cricket Council chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan's Interior Minister, turning a night of celebration into a political flashpoint.

Asked to bowl, India absorbed an 84-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman before their spinners flipped the script. Pakistan went from a position of strength at 113 for one to 146 all out in the 20th over, Kuldeep's four-for and incisive spells from Varun and Axar choking the middle overs as Jasprit Bumrah closed out clinically. India's reply stuttered to 20 for three, but Varma, first alongside Sanju Samson and then Shivam Dube, restored calm and control before Rinku Singh applied the finishing touch. It was India's second T20I Asia Cup title and, counting the ODI editions, their ninth overall-underlining the depth, discipline and game-smarts that have come to define Suryakumar Yadav's side.