A sand artist created a beach sculpture to send best wishes to the Indian cricket team ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 finals.

Indian artist Sudarsan Pattnaik designed a sculpture of Goddess Durga on Puri Beach in Odisha as a gesture of encouragement for the team's match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Footage shows the 6ft artwork, made from nearly five tonnes of sand, depicting Mother Durga blessing the team on September 28.

Sudarsan said the sculpture includes 250 intricately carved sand balls, representing strength, teamwork, and the shared hopes of millions of cricket fans across India.

In a closely contested final, India defeated Pakistan by five wickets to retain the Asia Cup.

However, both teams declined to shake hands again, continuing the tension from the military conflict between the two countries earlier this year.