India chased down 172 in the Super 4 clash to beat Pakistan, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s 74 off 39 and a crucial two-wicket spell from Shivam Dube. Despite fielding and bowling lapses, India’s depth and composure again proved decisive; skipper Suryakumar Yadav said the fixture “is not a rivalry anymore.”
India delivered another emphatic display of T20 depth on Sunday in Dubai, as the Men in Blue downed Pakistan in a high-stakes Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 encounter chasing 172 on the scoreboard. India paced the chase smartly and closed the game with overs to spare, their top order producing the firepower while an unexpected bowling contribution turned the game in their favour.
Indian Bowling restricts Pakistan at 171
From the outset, the match promised fireworks. Pakistan’s batters came out intent on counterpunching after a poor showing in their previous meeting, and early aggression had them well placed at 90 for 2 halfway through their innings. But momentum shifted in a short, decisive burst after the drinks break, when Shivam Dube, whose bowling has been an increasingly useful option for India, produced a pair of key breakthroughs that tilted the match. Dube’s disciplined off-length bowling saw him return figures of 2 for 33, putting brakes on Pakistan’s scoring rhythm and forcing risky shots.
Pakistan had their moments: an enterprising fifty from Sahibzada Farhan and positive cameos from the likes of Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha ensured they posted a competitive 171. The innings, however, lacked the sustained acceleration in the middle overs that might have taken the total beyond reach, and India’s disciplined middle-over bowling made Pakistan pay when set batters tried to up the ante and fell short of almost 15-20 runs by the end of their innings.
India’s Batting
India’s reply was built on a blistering start. Abhishek Sharma, the young opener who has been carving out a niche with his aggressive strokeplay, tore into Pakistan’s bowlers, with a blitzkrieg assault that included a flurry of sixes and boundaries early in the chase. Partnering with Shubman Gill, Abhishek put together a 105-run opening stand that effectively stripped Pakistan of any hope of a comeback, the partnership combining raw power and calm rotation of strike to keep the asking rate comfortably in check.
Gill’s role alongside Abhishek, blending timing and placement with the occasional audacious reverse sweep, allowed India to transition from powerplay dominance to a controlled middle-over game. When the opening stand was finally broken, the platform had already been laid, and India’s middle order merely needed to shepherd the chase home. The finishing touches were clinical, and India wrapped up the run chase with overs to spare.
Yet the scoreboard only tells part of the story. India’s night was far from flawless. Fielding lapses ,four dropped catches, including two by Abhishek himself, and a surprising lack of control from some senior bowlers exposed India’s imperfections. Jasprit Bumrah, for one, looked out of colour, finishing wicketless and leaking runs across his four overs. Varun Chakravarthy, often a chokehold in the middle overs, failed to find a breakthrough on this occasion. Still, the depth in India’s squad allowed others to plug gaps when it mattered.
That depth was epitomised by the good bowling change involving Shivam Dube. Normally viewed as a power-hitting option, Dube’s improvement with his slower ball and his willingness to bowl full quotas when called upon gave India the extra edge in a key phase. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav singled out Dube’s spell as the turning point, praising the all-rounder’s preparation and plans that paid dividends on the night.
Suryakumar Post Match Interview
After the match, Suryakumar’s post-game remarks drew headlines almost as quickly as the cricket itself. Asked about the old, fevered talk of an India–Pakistan rivalry, he offered a blunt assessment: when one side so regularly comes out on top in high-profile T20 meetings, the contest’s competitive balance is called into question. “This is not a rivalry anymore,” Suryakumar said, reflecting on India’s recent dominance and the mental edge it brings. His comments drew attention not as provocation but as a frank assessment of sport, and a reminder that psychological momentum can be as influential as runs on a scoreboard. The match that underlined why the contest has become increasingly one-sided in recent years, the last win of Pakistan over India came in 2022 in any format.
Match Analysis
For Pakistan, the defeat will sting — particularly because their batting displayed intent and moments of real class. The challenge for them now is to turn promising starts into match-winning totals and to find a middle-order spark capable of finishing innings in pressure situations. Against a team as deep and adaptable as India, even a few small lapses in execution can swing a tightly balanced T20 contest decisively.
Tactically, the match underlined a few broader trends in white-ball cricket. First, the value of multi-dimensional players who can contribute both with bat and ball has never been higher. Dube’s overs were as important as his bat might be in other matches. Second, the opening partnership in T20s remains a critical window to set the tone; Abhishek and Gill’s early fireworks effectively settled the chase before the middle overs could become anxious. Finally, fielding still a non-negotiable in modern white-ball formats, proved that even minor lapses can make the game nervy, but strong batting depth can compensate for intermittent sloppiness.
Looking ahead, India will take confidence from another high-pressure victory ahead of the tournament’s closing stages. For Pakistan, the focus will be on converting intent into consistent execution across all three phases of the innings. The fixture remains loaded with history and emotion, but as Suryakumar implied, the competitive narrative is tilting, at least for now, decisively in India’s favour.
The Road Ahead
Abhishek Sharma’s form will be closely monitored after this knock, while Pakistan’s coaching staff will pore over their middle-innings execution. As the Asia Cup progresses, both teams must refine their margins, India to maintain momentum, Pakistan to arrest the slide and reclaim the competitive balance.
