India didn’t make a great start with the ball during the final of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium against Pakistan, where they gave away an 84-run opening stand between Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman. However, they made a brilliant end in the middle overs of the innings and got the last nine wickets for 33 runs.

Chasing the target, the eyes for the Indian side were on Abhishek Sharma, who had been in tremendous form during this event with three successive half-centuries. Many reckoned that even Pakistan could get Abhishek early, then the rest of the batting department would fall like a pack of cards.

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Shaeen Shah Afridi bowled a fine over to the left-handed batter inside the power play. The second ball was smashed through the cover-point for a boundary before he was beaten on the third ball. The left-handed batter couldn’t do well in the last four balls, and that created incredible pressure on him to break free for the second over.

Watch: Faheem Ashraf breaks India’s opening stand with Abhishek Sharma’s wicket during IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

On the opening ball of the second over, Faheem Ashraf came into the attack. He bowled a slow delivery outside the batter’s arc as Abhishek looked to take the ultra-aggressive route and nail the ball outside the rope. But he didn’t get the full elevation and was caught on the edge of the ring by Haris Rauf for five runs in six balls.

FAHEEM ASHRAF RANA STRIKES, ABHISHEK SHARMA GONE!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qTlrT7I4wR

— PCT Replays 2.0 (@ReplaysPCT) September 28, 2025

Apart from the top three, no one got into the double figures for the Pakistan side in the batting line-up. All of Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy picked up two wickets while Kuldeep Yadav bagged four wickets in his spell of four overs for 30 runs.

India, along with Abhishek, also lost their captain Suryakumar Yadav, for 10 runs in the third over, and found themselves under immense pressure in the brief chase during the second innings. Both the opening bowlers picked up a wicket each from the Indian innings.