Date: March 22nd, 2012.
Location: Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur, Dhaka.
Event: Asia Cup Final 2012. India vs Pakistan.
Attendance: 26,000 (Capacity).
The atmosphere was not just electric; it was volatile. The previous encounter in the league stage had been a humiliation for Pakistan—a 9-wicket drubbing where Siddanth Deva and Rohit Sharma had dismantled them.
But Finals are different. The wounds of defeat had scabbed over into a hard resolve for revenge. The Pakistani team looked sharper, angrier during the warm-ups. The crowd was a sea of noise, split between the tricolour and the crescent and star.
Pre-Match Studio (Star Sports)
Ravi Shastri: "It is the Mother of all Battles, Part 2. But the stakes are higher. It's the Final. India has been dominant, unbeaten in the tournament. Pakistan has scrapped their way here. History says form goes out the window when these two meet in a final."
Ramiz Raja: "Pakistan is hurting, Ravi. That loss in the league stage was embarrassing. Today, they are not just playing for the Cup; they are playing for respect. Misbah has made it clear: If we win the toss, we bat first, we put 300 on the board, and we test the Indian nerve."
Sunil Gavaskar: "The pitch looks like a belter. Hard, rolled, full of runs. The team winning the toss must bat. Chasing in a final against Ajmal and Gul? That's asking for trouble."
The Toss
Misbah-ul-Haq spun the coin. MS Dhoni called Heads.
It was Tails.
Misbah: "We will bat first. It's a final. Runs on the board are gold. The pitch is good, we want to put India under pressure."
Dhoni: "We would have batted first too. But we chase well. The dew might help us later. We are playing the same XI."
Pakistan Innings
Openers: Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed.
Bowler: Praveen Kumar.
Pakistan started with a clarity of purpose that was missing in the league game. They weren't tentative. They were aggressive.
Over 1: Praveen Kumar to Hafeez
0.2: Hafeez stepped out. He lofted a swinging delivery over cover. FOUR.
Commentary (Ramiz Raja): "That is the intent! Hafeez says 'I am not waiting today'. Beautiful shot!"
Over 4: Vinay Kumar to Jamshed
Jamshed, the southpaw, pulled a short ball in front of square. FOUR.
Next ball, he drove straight down the ground. FOUR.
The Indian pacers struggled for swing. The humidity was high, but the ball was gun-barrel straight. Pakistan raced to 52/0 in 10 overs.
Dhoni looked calm, but his fingers were tapping against his pads. "They are targeting the straight boundaries. We need to pull the length back."
He looked at Deva. "Not yet. Let the spinners try."
R. Ashwin broke the opening stand in the 13th over.
12.4: Jamshed tried to sweep. Top edge. Caught by Irfan Pathan at short fine leg.
WICKET (Jamshed 34).
Score: 70/1.
Younis Khan walked in. The veteran. He and Hafeez engaged in a partnership that drained the Indian fielders. They ran hard, rotated strike, and punished the loose balls.
Over 20: Ravindra Jadeja
Hafeez swept Jadeja for FOUR. He reached his 50 off 65 balls.
Over 25: Suresh Raina
Younis Khan stepped out and hit a SIX over long-on.
Pakistan reached 150/1 in 28 overs. They were setting a platform for a mammoth total.
Dhoni threw the ball to Siddanth Deva in the 29th over.
"Break this," Dhoni said. "Younis is set."
Over 29: Deva to Younis Khan (It is his 4th over)
Deva ran in. 145 kph.
28.1: Good length. Younis defended.
28.2: Deva went wide. Younis left it.
28.3: Deva bowled a cutter. It gripped.
Younis tried to steer it to third man. He was early on the shot. The ball took the inside edge, missed the stumps, and went to fine leg. 1 Run.
Deva was bowling tight, but the wickets weren't coming. Hafeez was in the zone.
Hafeez Century:
In the 33rd over, Hafeez drove Ashwin for a single.
100 for Mohammad Hafeez.
India was desperate.
Over 36: Deva to Younis Khan
Deva came back for his second spell. He changed his angle. Round the wicket.
35.4: Deva bowled a bouncer. Younis ducked.
35.5: Deva bowled full, angling into the pads. Younis tried to flick. He missed.
LBW Appeal.
The umpire shook his head. Going down leg?
Deva looked at Dhoni. "It straightened, Skipper. I saw it."
Dhoni reviewed.
DRS: Pitching in line. Impact in line. Wickets... Clipping Leg Stump. Umpire's Call.
"Unlucky," Dhoni muttered.
But Deva didn't stop.
Over 38: Deva to Younis Khan
Younis was on 52.
Deva bowled the Knuckleball. Younis saw the arm speed. He went for a drive through covers.
The ball dipped. He was through the shot early. The ball popped up to short cover.
Suresh Raina dived forward and took a low catch.
Commentary (Gavaskar): "Finally! Deva provides the breakthrough! The change of pace does it again. Younis Khan goes for 52. A massive partnership of 120 is broken! Can India pull it back?"
WICKET (Younis 52).
Score: 220/2.
Misbah-ul-Haq came and went quickly, run out by a direct hit from Virat Kohli for just 4 runs.
Score: 235/3.
Umar Akmal joined Hafeez. Then, the carnage began. Hafeez and Akmal targeted the death bowlers.
Over 42: Vinay Kumar went for 18 runs.
Over 44: Praveen Kumar went for 15 runs.
Hafeez finally fell for 105, caught on the boundary off Ashwin.
Score: 260/4. 45 Overs done.
Shahid Afridi walked to the middle.
Score after 47 Overs: 295/4.
Akmal was smashing it. Afridi was fresh and dangerous.
Dhoni threw the ball to Deva for the 48th over, but changed his mind at the last second, saving him for the 50th. He needed his best bowler for the final six balls. Vinay Kumar and Praveen Kumar bowled the 48th and 49th. They missed their lengths.
Over 49: Akmal hit two fours.
Score after 49 Overs: Pakistan 315/4.
Dhoni called Deva. "Finish it, Sid."
Deva nodded. He ran to his mark.
Over 50: Deva to Afridi
49.1: Deva ran in. Afridi smashed him for FOUR past point.
49.2: Deva tried a yorker. It ended up a full toss. SIX over long-on.
The score moved to 325.
49.3: Deva ran in. He loaded his jump.
As his front foot landed in the delivery stride, the turf gave way slightly under the spikes.
His ankle turned violently.
CRACK.
A sickening sound echoed in Deva's ears. He collapsed in his follow-through, the ball slipping from his hand and rolling harmlessly down the pitch.
Umpire: Dead Ball.
Deva clutched his right ankle. He screamed in pain. The stadium went silent.
Dhoni ran from behind the stumps. Kohli ran from cover.
"Sid!" Dhoni knelt down. "Don't move."
The physio sprinted onto the field. Deva was grimacing, his face pale. The pain was shooting up his leg like fire.
Physio: "It's a severe sprain, Sid. Maybe a ligament tear. You can't put weight on it. We need to stretcher you off."
Deva looked at the scoreboard. 325/4. Three balls left (since the last was a dead ball). Afridi on strike.
If he left, a part-timer would have to bowl. Afridi would feast.
Deva shook his head. He gritted his teeth.
"No," Deva rasped. "Tape it up."
"Sid, you can't run," the physio warned. "You will damage it permanently."
"I don't need to run," Deva said, grabbing Dhoni's arm to pull himself up. He stood on one leg, hopping. "I just need to bowl three balls. Tape it tight."
Commentary (Shastri): "This is courage! This is madness! Deva is refusing to leave the field! He can barely stand, but he wants to finish the over! The crowd is on its feet applauding the bravery!"
The physio strapped the ankle heavily. Deva limped back to his mark. He didn't have a run-up anymore. He had a hobble-up.
49.3 (Re-bowl): Deva hobbled in. 5 steps. He delivered from a standing start.
It wasn't 145 kph. It was 125 kph. A slower ball.
Afridi swung early. Missed. Dot.
49.4: Wide yorker. Afridi squeezed it for 2 runs.
49.5: Full toss. Afridi hit it to deep cover. 1 Run.
49.6: The Final Ball.
Umar Akmal on strike.
Deva was in agony. He just wanted to bowl it and fall down.
He hobbled. He rolled his fingers. The Knuckleball.
Akmal went for a massive slog over mid-wicket to finish the innings. He was completely deceived by the dip. He topped it.
The ball went straight up. MS Dhoni ran to short leg and took the catch.
Commentary (Gavaskar): "HE GETS HIM! ON ONE LEG! Siddanth Deva finishes the innings with a wicket! What a performance of grit and determination! He is in agony, but he has done the job! Umar Akmal goes!"
WICKET (Akmal 45).
Pakistan Finished on 329/6.
Deva was carried off the field by Kohli and Raina. The crowd stood and applauded.
@ShoaibAkhtar:
"329! HUGE SCORE! Pakistan favorites now. But respect to Deva. That boy has a heart of a lion. Bowling on one leg? Massive respect. Get well soon."
@HarshaBhogle:
"What drama! 329 is a mountain to climb in a final. But the image of the day is Deva refusing to leave the field. That is commitment. India will need him to bat, leg or no leg."
@PakCricket_Official:
"Hafeez (105) and Jamshed (34) set the stage. Afridi finished it. 330 to win. The Asia Cup is coming to Lahore! 🇵🇰🏆"
@ViratKohliFC:
"Deva carried off the field. 😭 If he can't bat, we are in trouble. 330 is too much without him. Rohit and Kohli need to play the innings of their lives."
---
Target: 330 Runs.
Required Run Rate: 6.60.
The atmosphere in the Indian dressing room was heavy with the scent of pain relief spray and tension. 330 was a mammoth score in a final. The highest successful run chase in an ODI at Mirpur was well below 300. Pakistan's bowling attack—Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Aizaz Cheema—was formidable and pumped up after their batting display.
Siddanth Deva, the Vice-Captain, sat on the physio's table with his right ankle elevated and packed in ice. The swelling was significant. He was padded up, refusing to take off his gear, but everyone knew the reality: if Deva had to bat, India was already in trouble.
MS Dhoni gathered the batsmen.
"We need partnerships," Dhoni said calmly. "The pitch is good under lights. If we keep wickets in hand, we can chase 10 runs an over at the end. Sid is injured. We have to do this without him. Rohit, Paaji... give us a start."
Rohit Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar walked out. The noise was deafening. Green flags waved in the stands.
Bowler: Mohammad Hafeez (Opening the bowling with spin).
Openers: Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma.
Over 1: Hafeez to Sachin
Sachin looked to be positive immediately. He took a single off the first ball. Rohit took a single.
Score: 2/0.
Over 2: Umar Gul
The pacer steamed in.
1.2: Gul to Sachin. Length ball, shaping away late.
Sachin tried to play his trademark backfoot punch through covers. The ball moved just enough to take the edge. He sliced it.
Point fielder, Younis Khan, dived to his left.
The Catch: Clean take.
Commentary (Ramiz Raja): "GONE! THE BIG FISH IS GONE! Pakistan strikes early! The Little Master departs for just 3! Umar Gul draws first blood! India is rocked early! The crowd is going wild!"
WICKET (Sachin 3).
India: 3/1.
The silence from the Indian fans was absolute. The target of 330 suddenly looked like 500.
Virat Kohli walked out at No. 3.
Over 5: Aizaz Cheema to Kohli
Kohli got off the mark with a nervous push. Then, he hit a cover drive. FOUR.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "That will settle the nerves. A classic Kohli drive. He needs to play the innings of his life today."
Over 10: India 50/1.
Rohit was struggling to time the ball initially, scoring a run-a-ball. Kohli was rotating the strike, busy at the crease. Required Rate climbing to 7.
Over 15: Shahid Afridi
Rohit finally broke free. He stepped out and hit Afridi over extra cover. SIX.
Commentary (Sanjay Manjrekar): "That is the release shot! Rohit Sharma decides to take on the captain! High and handsome!"
Slowly, steadily, the two young stars rebuilt the innings.
Over 18: Virat Kohli reached his 50 off 52 balls. He raised his bat. No smile. Just a glare at the Pakistani fielders.
Over 20: India 115/1.
Rohit Sharma reached his 50 off 65 balls.
The partnership was worth 112 runs. The belief was returning to the Indian camp. The required rate was hovering around 7.5. Kohli decided to shift gears.
Over 24: Wahab Riaz
Kohli flicked him for FOUR. Next ball, he pulled him for FOUR.
Over 28: Saeed Ajmal
This was the key battle. Kohli read the doosra from the hand. He went back and cut it past point. FOUR.
Over 30: India 175/1.
They were halfway there.
Over 34: Umar Gul to Rohit
Rohit was on 68. He looked set for a hundred. He tried to pull a short ball. He was a fraction late. Top edge.
The ball went high. Shahid Afridi at mid-on settled under it.
Commentary (Ramiz Raja): "He's skied it! Afridi calls for it! Taking! The partnership is broken! Rohit Sharma goes for 68! Pakistan is back in it! A vital wicket!"
WICKET (Rohit 68).
Score: 175/2.
Equation: 155 runs needed off 96 balls. Required Rate: 9.6.
Enter Suresh Raina. Usually, Deva would come at 4. But Deva was iced up. Raina walked out, knowing he had to support Kohli.
With Rohit gone, Kohli took over completely. He went into a trance. He wasn't just playing; he was dismantling the opposition.
Over 36: Shahid Afridi
Raina took a single. Kohli on strike.
He smashed Afridi inside-out over cover. FOUR. Next ball. Sweep. FOUR.
Over 38: Aizaz Cheema
Kohli on 96.
He drove to long-off. Two runs. 98.
Next ball. Flick to square leg. Two runs.
CENTURY FOR VIRAT KOHLI.
100 off 98 balls.
He leaped into the air. He pumped his fist. He screamed, letting out the pressure. But he didn't stop. He marked his guard again.
Over 40: Umar Gul
The defining over of the match. India needed 100 runs in 10 overs.
Kohli decided to destroy Pakistan's best pacer.
39.1: Length ball. Kohli whipped it over mid-wicket. FOUR.
39.2: Short ball. Pulled. FOUR.
39.3: Full. Driven straight. FOUR.
39.4: Slower ball. Picked. Lofted over cover. SIX.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "This is carnage! He is tearing Umar Gul apart! Virat Kohli is playing an innings for the ages! He is making a mockery of this chase! 18 runs off the over!"
Suresh Raina wasn't watching. He was hitting.
Over 42: Saeed Ajmal
Raina slog-swept him for SIX. Then he cut him for FOUR.
Raina reached his 50 off just 28 balls. A brilliant cameo.
Score: 305/2.
Equation: 25 runs needed off 30 balls.
Over 46: Aizaz Cheema to Raina
Raina tried to finish it quickly. He went for a big heave over long-on. Mistimed. Caught at the boundary.
Commentary (Ramiz Raja): "He's gone! Raina falls for a brilliant 55! A match-winning partnership of over 130 runs in quick time! But is there a twist?"
WICKET (Raina 55).
India: 305/3.
Virat Kohli: 174*.
MS Dhoni walked out.
Deva was still in the dugout, pads on, but smiling. He knew the job was done.
Over 47: Wahab Riaz
Kohli was tired. He was cramping. But he refused to leave.
46.1: Kohli Cover drive. FOUR. 179 runs.
46.3: Kohli flick. FOUR. 182 runs.
Over 48: Aizaz Cheema
Equation: 12 runs needed.
47.1: Dhoni on strike. Single. 11 runs needed.
47.2: Kohli on strike. Single to deep cover. 10 runs needed.
Kohli equaled Ganguly and Dhoni's highest ODI scores.
47.3: Dhoni on strike. Short ball. Pulled. FOUR. 6 runs needed.
47.4: Wide. 5 runs needed.
47.4 (Re-bowl): Dhoni drove to long-off. Single. 4 runs needed.
47.5: Kohli on strike. Dot.
47.6: Last ball of the over. Dot.
Score: 326/3.
Target: 330.
Needed: 4 runs.
Over 49: Umar Gul
Dhoni on strike.
48.1: Gul bowled full.
Dhoni whipped it. The helicopter took off.
The ball soared over long-on.
SIX.
INDIA WINS BY 7 WICKETS.
Final Score: India 330/3 (48.1 Overs).
Virat Kohli: 183* (148 balls).
Rohit Sharma: 68.
Suresh Raina: 55.
MS Dhoni: 6*.
Sachin: 3.
Extras: 15.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "AND THAT IS IT! Virat Kohli has played the innings of a lifetime! 183 not out! He has chased down 330 against Pakistan in a Final! India are the Champions of Asia! What a player! What a chase! This is the highest score in Asia Cup history!"
Kohli dropped his bat. He took off his helmet. He roared. He pointed to the badge on his chest.
Dhoni hugged him.
"Cheeku, you are a legend," Dhoni said.
The team sprinted onto the field.
Siddanth Deva, hobbling with one shoe on and one ice pack strapped to his foot, was the first to reach Kohli.
He grabbed Kohli in a headlock, ignoring his own pain.
"I told you!" Deva screamed. "I told you, you are the King!"
Kohli was crying. Tears of joy mixed with sweat.
"We did it, Sid. We did it."
Post-Match Presentation
Ramiz Raja: "A heartbreak for Pakistan. But we have to bow down to genius. Man of the Match, for a colossal 183 not out... Virat Kohli."
Kohli walked up.
Ramiz: "Virat, 330 to get. Pressure game. How did you pace it?"
Kohli: "I just wanted to stay till the end. Rohit gave us a great partnership. Then Raina played a brilliant cameo. I knew if I stayed, we would win. I visualized this chase."
---
MS Dhoni received the Asia Cup.
He handed it to Deva and Kohli.
"Hold it together," Dhoni said.
Deva (on one leg) and Kohli (exhausted) lifted the Asia Cup together. The Future Captain and the Vice-Captain.
The fireworks exploded over Dhaka.