Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh both wrote down that they wanted to help India in the final by scoring runs ahead of the tournament (Image via ANI)

India’s thrilling five-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final was already memorable for the tight finish and dominant performances. But the post-match celebrations focused on an extraordinary coincidence involving Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma. Rinku Singh, who had not played a single match in the tournament until the final, was drafted in after Hardik Pandya was ruled out due to injury. His inclusion itself surprised fans, but what followed left everyone stunned. During the final moments of India’s chase, Singh walked in to face the last over with the scores level. On the very first ball he faced, he smashed Haris Rauf for a boundary over mid-on, hitting the winning runs and sealing India’s ninth Asia Cup title. Presenter Sanjana Ganesan revealed an incredible backstory – that he had written on a card before the tournament that he wanted to hit the winning runs of the Asia Cup 2025 on September 6. This prediction made days before the tournament even began.Watch the unbelievable moment hereTilak, who top-scored in the final with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, had also written on a card that he wanted to score runs in the final and help India win. True to his words, Varma anchored the innings alongside Shivam Dube, contributing a vital 60-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with Dube adding 33 off 22 balls. Earlier, India’s bowlers restricted Pakistan to 146 all out in 19.1 overs. Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35) had provided a strong start, but the Indian spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav (4/30), Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) and Axar Patel (2/26) triggered a dramatic collapse, with Pakistan losing their last nine wickets for just 33 runs. Jasprit Bumrah also picked up two wickets. Chasing 147, India initially stumbled to 20/3 after four overs, including early wickets of Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and captain Suryakumar Yadav. But Tilak’s calm innings and the support from Dube steadied the chase, allowing India to cross the finish line with two balls to spare.

This was India’s third victory over Pakistan in the tournament, having already beaten them in the group and Super 4 stages. The performances of Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma, and their pre-tournament predictions, have since gone viral, giving the final a near-fairytale finish for the duo.