A 105-run opening stand between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill has helped defending champions India beat Pakistan by six wickets in their Asia Cup Super Four match, their second victory over their arch rivals in the Twenty20 tournament.
Put in to bat, Pakistan set India a target of 172, which they reached with seven balls remaining on Sunday.
There had been no handshake between the teams’ players yet again with the match played amid lingering tensions between the two nations in the wake of the military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May this year.
A 72-run partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub for the second wicket laid the foundation for Pakistan’s innings after Fakhar Zaman (15) fell early.
Farhan, who was dropped in the first over by Sharma, completed his half-century in 34 balls, steering Pakistan to 1-91 after 10 overs.
But Pakistan could not hit a single boundary in the next six overs as Ayub (21), Hussain Talat (10) and Farhan (58 off 45) got out in quick succession.
Unbeaten knocks from captain Salman Ali Agha (17 off 13) and Faheem Ashraf (20 off 8) added 42 in the last three overs to help Pakistan reach a competitive 5-171.
But Sharma announced his intentions by hitting Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six off the first ball, and he hit four boundaries and four sixes to complete his half-century in 24 balls.
India seemed to be cruising to a quick victory until Gill (47 off 28) was bowled by Faheem Ashraf in the 10th over.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav fell to Haris Rauf (2-26) for a duck in the very next over, and Sharma (74 off 39) was dismissed by Abrar Ahmed soon after, temporarily throttling India’s chase.
Suryakumar Yadav of India warms up ahead of the Asia cup match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
But India, who beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage, still got over the line, with Tilak Varma (30 off 19) hitting Afridi for a six and a four to seal the win.
Yadav did little to defuse tensions between the teams in his post-match press conference, twisting the knife into the opposition over India’s recent dominance.
Yadav declared that India-Pakistan matches were “not a rivalry anymore” because of the results between them in the last three years.
Since Pakistan’s previous win at the Asia Cup in 2022 in Dubai, India have had seven straight wins.
“I would like to say one thing on this question. I feel that you should stop asking this question on the rivalry,” Yadav said.
“According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches and if it is 7-7 or 8-7, then that is called a rivalry. But 13-0, 10-1…
“I don’t know what the stats are, but this is not a rivalry anymore.”
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on Tuesday, with both sides looking for their first win in the Super Four, a day before India play Bangladesh, who beat Sri Lanka on Saturday.
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