India Dominates Pakistan in Thrilling Asia Cup Clash: Suryakumar Yadav Shines on Birthday
Suryakumar Yadav turned 35 in the best way possible – by smashing an unbeaten 47 off 37 balls to lead India to a smooth seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025. This Group A thriller unfolded at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, showcasing India’s all-round superiority in the Men’s T20 Asia Cup.
India’s bowlers set the tone early, sticking to a spin-heavy attack that worked wonders for the second match in a row. Left-arm wizard Kuldeep Yadav stole the show with 3 wickets for just 18 runs, while Axar Patel grabbed 2-18. Varun Chakaravarthy added 1-24 to the mix. On the slow Dubai pitch, these spinners kept things tight, bundling Pakistan to 127/9 in 20 overs.
Pakistan struggled for rhythm on the sluggish surface. Sahibzada Farhan fought hard with a top score of 40, and Shaheen Shah Afridi fired up late with an unbeaten 33 off 16 balls, including some big hits. But it wasn’t enough against India’s clever bowling variations that choked the runs.
Chasing 128 looked like a walk in the park, and India nailed it with 25 balls to spare, finishing at 131/3 in 15.5 overs. As the defending T20 World Cup champions, India outclassed Pakistan in every department – from bowling control to batting firepower. This win marks their second straight victory in the Asia Cup 2025, giving their net run rate a solid boost.
Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill gave India a flying start. Abhishek exploded right away, lofting Shaheen Shah Afridi for a four over the umpire’s head and then a massive six over long-off. He kept the pressure on, slashing for fours and whipping for sixes, racing to 31 off 13 balls before holing out to long-off off Saim Ayub. Gill added 10 with two classy boundaries before getting stumped.
Tilak Varma joined the party, reverse-sweeping and lofting Mohammad Nawaz for quick fours. India raced to 61/2 at the end of the powerplay. Tilak smashed a huge 98m six off Muqeem and survived a dropped catch on 30, but Ayub finally got him with sharp turn, bowling him for a gritty knock.
Enter Suryakumar Yadav, looking rock-solid. He picked precise boundaries off the spinners and swept Ayub for four through deep backward square leg. Shivam Dube chipped in with a six over long-on and stayed unbeaten on 10. SKY wrapped it up stylishly, hoicking Muqeem for six to seal the Asia Cup 2025 win.
After the match, Suryakumar and Dube walked off without the usual handshakes – a nod to the ongoing tensions between the two nations, marking the first India-Pakistan game since diplomatic strains earlier this year.
How India Dismantled Pakistan’s Batting
Captain India chose to bowl first, and they struck immediately. Hardik Pandya sent Saim Ayub packing for a golden duck with a catch at point – Ayub’s second straight duck in the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah joined the fun in his first over, as Mohammad Haris miscued a heave to deep backward square leg.
Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan tried to rebuild, with Zaman flicking Pandya for boundaries and Farhan pulling Bumrah for two sixes. Pakistan reached 41/2 after the powerplay, but the spinners slammed the brakes.
Axar Patel broke through by having Zaman caught at long-on, then Salman Agha top-edged a sweep to deep square leg. Kuldeep Yadav turned it on, dismissing Hasan Ali with a miscued slog-sweep and trapping Abrar Ahmed lbw with a sneaky googly for another golden duck.
Farhan kept fighting, smashing Abhishek for six and pulling Axar for four. Faheem Ashraf slapped Kuldeep for a boundary over extra cover, but Kuldeep bounced back, getting Farhan caught at long-on off a wide googly. Chakaravarthy trapped Ashraf lbw soon after.
Shaheen and Muqeem added some fireworks, hitting Bumrah for boundaries and sixes to push past 100. Bumrah fired back with a perfect yorker to bowl Muqeem, but Shaheen smashed Pandya for two maximums, helping Pakistan limp to 127/9. Still, it was a total India’s strong batting lineup tore apart.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan 127/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 40, Shaheen Shah Afridi 33; Kuldeep Yadav 3-18, Axar Patel 2-18)
India 131/3 in 15.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 47, Abhishek Sharma 31, Tilak Varma 31; Saim Ayub 3-22)
India won by 7 wickets.
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