'Fakhar not in syllabus'
Jubilant photographs of Pakistan cricket fans dancing in the streets were plastered all over national newspapers Monday after their eighth-ranked team produced a thrilling win against arch-rivals India in the Champions Trophy final.
The victory was splashed across most major newspapers, with leading English daily Dawn proclaiming: "Pakistan breaks jinx, trounce India in dream final".
While the country's largest paper, the Urdu-daily Jang, announced: "Pakistan Champions, trounced Indian team."
In an editorial titled "Victory is sweet", the Express Tribune said: "When you are an underdog in a high-octane tournament final and your highly-regarded opponent is the defending champions, hardly anyone has any expectations of you -- except of course your cricket-mad 200 million plus compatriots."
The News, in a piece headlined "Champions", said: "When Pakistan were thrashed by India in their opening match of the Champions Trophy, the obituaries were already being written.
"But if there is one thing you can say about the Pakistan cricket team, it is that it exists to confound everyone."
In India almost all print media went easy on Kohli and his team, crediting Pakistan's performance though the front-page of the Hindustan Times screamed "Obliterated at the Oval: India humiliated by Pak."
The Times of India proclaimed: "The Unpredictables Rise Again".
Cricket-mad Indian fans resorted to humour to sweep away the disappointment. Twitter user Prachi Dasin said "This is cheating, Fakhar Zaman is out of syllabus!"
Top industrialist Harsh Goenka sent a message to India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj. "11 Indians stranded in Oval, London. Madam Sushma Swaraj please rescue them," he tweeted.
Some news channels showed handful of fans smashing a television in the street after the match -- but the antics appeared to have been staged.
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