DUBAI: India produced a dominant performance to beat arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets in their high-voltage Asia Cup 2025 group-stage encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 128-run target, India reached 131 for three in just 15.5 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav anchored the chase with an unbeaten 47 off 37 deliveries, ensuring a comfortable finish after Abhishek Sharma’s explosive start.
India lost Shubman Gill early, but Abhishek’s blistering knock of 31 off only 13 balls — including four boundaries and two sixes — gave them momentum.
After his dismissal by Saim Ayub, Tilak Varma joined Suryakumar to build a steady 56-run partnership for the third wicket.
Varma contributed 31 before also falling to Saim, but by then India were firmly in control. Suryakumar’s composed innings, featuring five fours and a six, saw them home with 25 balls to spare.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub was the lone bright spot with the ball, taking all three Indian wickets for 35 runs in his four overs.
Earlier, Pakistan’s decision to bat first backfired as their batting order crumbled against India’s disciplined attack. They limped to 127 for nine in their 20 overs, despite late resistance from Shaheen Shah Afridi.
The innings began disastrously, with Hardik Pandya bowling Saim Ayub for a duck with his first ball. Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Mohammad Haris for just three, leaving Pakistan reeling at six for two inside the opening overs.
Sahibzada Farhan attempted to rebuild with a gritty 40 off 44 balls, hitting one four and three sixes. He shared a 39-run stand with Fakhar Zaman (17), but once Zaman was removed by Axar Patel, Pakistan lost wickets in clusters.
Kuldeep Yadav was the standout for India, claiming three for 18 in his four overs. He dismissed Farhan before striking twice in successive balls, removing Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz to rip through the middle order.
Axar Patel also played a key role, dismissing Zaman and skipper Salman Ali Agha cheaply.
Pakistan slipped to 64 for six and looked unlikely to post a competitive total until Shaheen Shah Afridi launched a late counter-attack.
Batting at number nine, Shaheen smashed an unbeaten 33 off just 16 balls, clearing the ropes four times to lift his side past 120. Faheem Ashraf (11) and Sufiyan Muqeem (10) chipped in, but their contributions were not enough against India’s well-drilled attack.
Bumrah finished with two wickets, while Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar shared the remaining scalps.
Pakistan Playing XI
Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed.
India Playing XI
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah.
