Amritsar (Punjab) [India], September 29 : Congress MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla met with cricketer Abhishek Sharma's family in Punjab's Amritsar, after the Indian cricket team lifted the Asia Cup 2025, beating Pakistan by five wickets.
MP Aujla lauded Sharma's performance in the tournament, as the batter won the Player of the Tournament award.
Gurjeet Singh Aujla told ANI, "It is a matter of pride that Abhishek Sharma has earned a very big name in the field of cricket today. He has been awarded the Player of the Tournament. I am sitting here with his family. Cricket is the ancestral game of Amritsar. We are very happy that a cricket stadium is also being built in Amritsar. I want Abhishek to prosper in his career and make the country proud. We will welcome him with great fanfare once he returns."
Abhishek Sharma finished the tournament as the highest run-getter, scoring 314 runs in seven innings at a whopping strike rate of 200.
The victory greetings poured in as Tilak Varma's clutch knock of 69 in 53 balls and half-century stands with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube helped India chase 147 in the finals against Pakistan.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar extended his wishes to the Indian cricket team and urged that the political row over playing against Pakistan end.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Pawar said, "I extend my best wishes to all the players and congratulate them. But in this whole matter, there is one section of people who feel that because of what Pakistan did in between, which forced us to carry out Operation Sindoor, we should not have played matches with Pakistan at all. On the other hand, some people say that sports should not be dragged into these issues."
"In short, there are different opinions from different people, but the matches have now happened, and eventually, these discussions will come to an end," he added.
Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary also congratulated the team on the victory and said, "A big victory has been achieved. May our country's tricolour continue to fly just like this. Wherever the tricolour is hoisted, every Indian will feel joy. Cricket lovers from the country and abroad are delighted after yesterday's match."
In the finals, India won the toss and elected to field first. An 84-run stand between Sahidzada Farhan (57 in 38 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 in 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes) gave Pakistan the headstart they needed. However, spinners Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30) managed to pull the momentum back in the middle overs, as Pakistan's batting order collapsed from 113/1 in 12.4 overs to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah (2/25) also getting the final two wickets.
During the run-chase, India sank to 20/3 after an initial burst from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). However, Tilak Varma (69 in 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes), stitched a 57-run stand with Sanju Samson (24 in 21 balls, with two fours and a six) to bring back India to the game. Shivam Dube (33 in 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) delivered some carnage with Tilak, solidifying India's hold on the game despite some occasional brilliance from Pakistan. In the end, Rinku Singh hit the winning runs to seal the victory.