India crushed Pakistan’s batting lineup to register yet another commanding victory in the Asia Cup.
It was billed as the tournament’s most anticipated clash, but the contest never really lived up to the hype. Pakistan collapsed to a modest total due to batting failures, and India cruised to a one-sided win to move closer to the Super Four stage.
In this Group A fixture, the T20 World Champions sealed a comfortable 7-wicket win.
At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan were reduced to 64 for 6 before Shaheen Afridi’s cameo helped them reach 127. Afridi remained unbeaten on 33 off 16 balls with four sixes, while opener Sahibzada Farhan (40 off 44) was the only other significant contributor.
Chasing a small target, India wrapped things up in just 15.5 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav once again led the way with the ball. After his four-wicket haul against the UAE, the left-arm wrist-spinner struck again, this time taking 3 for 18 to earn another Player of the Match award.
Suryakumar Yadav anchored the chase, finishing unbeaten on 47 off 37 balls with five fours and a six.
Beyond the cricket, a major talking point was the lack of post-match handshakes. While Pakistan’s players waited, the Indian cricketers and coaching staff did not take part. Even at the toss, India captain Suryakumar did not shake hands with counterpart Salman Ali Agha.
Tensions between the two neighbors have been running high since a terrorist attack earlier this year in Indian-administered Pahalgam, and the strain has extended into cricket. Just last month, India boycotted a veterans’ match against Pakistan, and there had been speculation that they might boycott this Asia Cup fixture as well. Though the game went ahead, it sparked fresh controversy.
The pitch in Dubai offered variable bounce early on, with seamers finding swing and spinners later extracting turn.
Winning the toss, Pakistan’s start was disastrous. Saim Ayub fell to a simple catch off Hardik Pandya’s first ball of the match, and in the very next over, Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Mohammad Haris.
At 6 for 2, Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman tried to rebuild with a 39-run stand, but once that was broken, wickets tumbled quickly. Pakistan went 30 balls without a boundary after the powerplay.
Axar Patel struck twice in successive overs, removing Fakhar (17 off 15) and Salman Ali Agha. Kuldeep Yadav then delivered a double blow in one over, dismissing Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz in consecutive deliveries.
Reduced to 64 for 6, Pakistan struggled even to reach three figures. Sahibzada’s dismissal in the 18th over gave Kuldeep his third wicket. Afridi tried to counterattack, striking Kuldeep for a six and later hitting Varun Chakravarthy over the ropes. In the final over, Afridi smashed Pandya for two more sixes to drag Pakistan to 127.
India’s reply was brisk. Abhishek Sharma smashed a four and a six off Afridi’s opening deliveries, while Shubman Gill fell for 10 after hitting a couple of boundaries. Abhishek, after a rapid 31 off 13, was dismissed by Saim.
Tilak Varma and Suryakumar then guided India towards victory with a 56-run partnership. Tilak made 31 off 31 before falling, but Suryakumar, alongside Shivam Dube, saw India home, finishing the match with a six.
After their 9-wicket win over the UAE in the first game, this was India’s second successive victory. They will face Oman in their final group match on Friday.
Pakistan, who began their campaign with a 93-run win over Oman, suffered their first defeat. Their final group game will be against the UAE on Wednesday.
Brief Score
- Pakistan: 127/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada 40, Afridi 33*; Kuldeep 3-18, Bumrah 2-28, Axar 2-18)
- India: 131/3 in 15.5 overs (Suryakumar 47*, Tilak 31*, Abhishek 31; Saim 3-35)
Result: India won by 7 wickets
Player of the Match: Kuldeep Yadav
