"Whom do you search for when the final time comes?" - Irfan Pathan lauds Team India star's spell in IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Former India player Irfan Pathan has lauded Kuldeep Yadav for delivering a match-defining spell in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan. He noted that the left-arm wrist-spinner lived up to expectations with his performances in the middle overs.

Kuldeep registered figures of 4/30 in four overs as India bowled Pakistan out for 146 in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on Sunday, September 28. The Men in Blue achieved the target with five wickets and two deliveries to spare to win the continental tournament for a record-extending ninth time.

During a discussion on Sony Sports, Pathan noted that India were expecting Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep to fire with the new ball and in the middle overs, respectively, in the Asia Cup 2025.

"No one has taken more than this in an Asia Cup for India. He (Kuldeep) is picking up wickets regularly and winning Man of the Match awards. Whom do you search for when the final time comes? You search for Bumrah with the new ball, and along with him, you search for Kuldeep Yadav in the middle overs," he said.

The former India all-rounder noted that Kuldeep bowled courageously to pick up vital wickets throughout the tournament.

"This was incredible bowling. He has taken 17 wickets and all of them were big. Those wickets come when the batter is set. They come when the team needs them the most. He has the skill, and now he also has the courage to pick up big wickets," Pathan observed.

While highlighting the significance of Shaheen Shah Afridi's wicket in the Asia Cup 2025 final, Pathan added that the potent spinner virtually toyed with the opposition batters.

"He gives the ball air and bowls googlies. Shaheen Shah Afridi's wicket was also not a small one because he has hit a lot of sixes this season. There also he first made him play on the back foot and then bowled full. He tried to play across and lost his wicket. He is virtually playing with the batters," he elaborated.

Kuldeep Yadav trapped Shaheen Shah Afridi lbw for a three-ball duck. Saim Ayub (14 off 11), Salman Agha (8 off 7) and Faheem Ashraf (0 off 2) were his other three victims in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

---

"Pakistan don't have the skill at all against his variations" - Irfan Pathan on Kuldeep Yadav bamboozling the Men in Green batters in the Asia Cup 2025 final

Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets in the 17th over of Pakistan's innings. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan noted that Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled the Pakistan batters with his variations in the Asia Cup 2025 final.

"The highest wicket-taker of your team needed to perform well in the final, and he did that today. Pakistan don't have the skill at all against his variations, to find sweeps or to rely on singles and doubles. It's difficult to hit him straight because he bowls a very good length," he said.

To conclude, the cricketer-turned-commentator praised the Delhi Capitals (DC) spinner for his ability to bowl aggressively or defensively based on the situation.

"The biggest thing that was consistently seen with Kuldeep Yadav in this Asia Cup was that, while he tries to bowl aggressively to take wickets, when the batter gets set, he bowls slow googlies outside the off-stump. He goes away from the batters. He can bowl both attackingly and defensively," Pathan elaborated.

With 17 scalps at an economy rate of 6.27 in seven innings, Kuldeep Yadav finished as the highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025. No other bowler picked up more than 10 wickets in this edition of the continental tournament.