Not Abhishek Sharma! 22-year-old named impact player after India's win over Pakistan

India extended their unbeaten run at the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup with a commanding six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, chasing down 172 with seven balls to spare. The win also marked India’s highest successful chase against their arch-rivals in T20Is.

Abhishek Sharma was the main man in India’s chase, blasting 74 from 39 deliveries in a fiery knock that crushed Pakistan’s attack from the start. He hooked the first ball of the innings from Shaheen Shah Afridi for six, setting the tone for an opening partnership of 105 with Shubman Gill, who struck 47 off 28. By the time the stand was broken, India were very much in control.


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Coming in after the wicket of Suryakumar Yadav in the 11th over, Tilak Varma’s composed unbeaten 30 off 19 balls sealed the contest. The left-hander finished the game in style, flicking a low full toss from Afridi to the boundary. He walked off alongside Hardik Pandya without handshakes with the opposition, celebrations instead confined to the Indian dugout.

Varma’s late flourish earned him the “Impact Player of the Match” award in the Indian dressing room. Reflecting on his role, he said, “I was thinking to finish the game in the last two games as well, but couldn’t. Today, my turn has come. I’ll keep trying till the end of the tournament, and like gauti sir (Gautam Gambhir) said, till the World Cup, we’ll keep learning and keep moving forward.”

The batter was handed the award by training assistant Raghavindraa D, a training specialist with the side. His words of motivation ahead of handing the award to Varma charged up the players after the game.

India's next game in the competition is against Bangladesh on Wednesday, September 24.

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