 "India thrashed Pakistan by 7 wickets to win their Asia Cup 2025 clash. Image: AFP")
India once again proved why they are Pakistan’s biggest nightmare in ICC and ACC events. At the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 14, the Men in Blue walked away with a comfortable 7-wicket win in the Asia Cup 2025. Chasing only 128, India needed just 15.5 overs to finish the job.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav stayed till the end with 47 not out as he ended the match in style with a six. Pakistan’s decision to bat first backfired as they lost Saim Ayub on the very first ball to Hardik Pandya, and Mohammad Haris was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah in the next over.
The batting never clicked after that. Pakistan skipper Salman Agha struggled badly with 3 off 12. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman forged a much-needed partnership after that, but that too didn’t last long. Farhan fought with 40 off 44, but he too was dismissed quickly.
Only Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late fireworks (33 not out off 16) gave some respect to the score. Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) and Axar Patel (2/18) spun a web around Pakistan’s middle order, while Bumrah and Varun also chipped in towards the backend. Pakistan ended their innings at 127/9.
The chase started with fireworks from Abhishek Sharma, who hammered 31 from just 13 balls with 4 fours and 2 sixes. Even though Saim Ayub managed to pick three wickets – Abhishek, Shubman Gill (10), and Tilak Varma (31) – India never lost control. With SKY anchoring the chase, the result was only going one way.
India vs Pakistan: Interesting stats from the match
Some interesting stats came out of this game too. Hardik Pandya’s dismissal if Saim Ayub marked the second time in less than a year that India got a wicket on the first legal ball of a T20I match. The other was Arshdeep Singh’s wicket vs USA in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Pakistan used the review system heavily and had three decisions overturned successfully, which equals the world record for most in a T20I. The Oman vs Australia match at T20 World Cup 2024 also holds the same record. Saim Ayub continued a poor run with his third duck in the last five T20Is.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia’s bowlers also showed consistency. In their last eight T20 internationals, India have bowled out their opponents five times and taken nine wickets in the other three. Kuldeep Yadav’s record vs Pakistan is also worth noting. His recent 3/18 adds to a fine list of performances against them, which includes 18 wickets in 8 matches. He was named Player of the Match for the second game in a row.