'India just have too much ability': Men in Blue outperform Pakistan again, stick to 'no handshake' stance

Abhishek Sharma led the way with a breathtaking 74 off just 39 deliveries as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets with more than an over to spare in their Asia Cup Super 4s match in Dubai on Sunday. And as had been the case in their previous meeting a week ago, the Indian team continued to ignore their arch-rivals on the field with the post-match handshake once again missing.

Abhishek struck six fours and five sixes during his whirlwind knock, surpassing his mentor Yuvraj Singh in the process, and laid the foundation for a successful chase with a 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill.

The Men in Blue appeared in a spot of bother after losing three wickets in quick succession around the halfway stage, losing both well-set openers as well as skipper Suryakumar Yadav – who was dismissed for a three-ball duck, with India going from 105/0 to 123/3.

Tilak Varma, however, steadied the ship with his unbeaten 30 off 19 deliveries, smashing two fours and as many sixes which included the winning boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling in the penultimate delivery of the penultimate over. He stitched a 25-run stand with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson before steering the Men in Blue home in the company of all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

Haris Rauf was the only Pakistani bowler of note on Sunday evening, collecting 2/26 from four overs as he dismissed India skipper Surya for the third time in T20Is before castling Sanju Samson, who departed for a scratchy 13.

Faheem Ashraf (1/31) and Abrar Ahmed (1/42) were the only other Pakistanis among the wickets, the former breaking the opening stand by castling Gill, who missed out on his half-century by a whisker.

Pakistan fall short with ball after improved display with bat

Pakistan had put up a much better performance earlier in the evening, posting a competitive 171/5 on the board thanks to opener Sahibzada Farhan’s 45-ball 58 as well as valuable knocks from Saim Ayub (21), Mohammad Nawaz (21) and Faheem Ashraf (20 not out).

All-rounder Shivam Dube was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/33, his game-changing spell in the middle overs helping India slow Pakistan down after Farhan powered his team to 91/1 at the halfway stage.

Hardik Pandya (1/29) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/31) were the only other wicket-takers, with Jasprit Bumrah (0/45) and Varun Chakravarthy (0/25) going wicketless after being rested for India’s final group-stage match against Oman. Bumrah had a particularly tough time in the middle, conceding 34 runs during the powerplay – the most he’s ever leaked during this phase in his T20I career.

The Men in Green were also aided by some sloppy fielding on the part of the Indians with Abhishek, Kuldeep and Gill putting down simple catches. Abhishek had put down a sitter at third man to give Farhan a reprieve on 0 as Pandya missed out on collecting a wicket in the very first over for the second consecutive time against the Men in Green.

Pakistan’s challenging total, however, wouldn’t prove enough in the end thanks to Abhishek and Gill’s fiery knocks as well as Verma’s finishing act.

The victory helped India complete a double against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing tournament, having defeated them by seven wickets with more than four overs to spare last Sunday. And as was the case in their previous meeting, India and Pakistan did not shake hands with one another on the field, with captains Surya and Salma Agha also ignoring one another during the toss.

Instead, there were a few instances of things getting heated between India and Pakistani players on the field, with Gill and Abhishek getting involved in a war of words with pacers Afridi and Rauf respectively.

Also Read | ‘That’s why I went after them’: Abhishek explains his on-field clash with Pakistan players

India have now defeated Pakistan seven consecutive times in completed matches across formats, having last lost to the Men in Green during the Super 4s of the 2022 Asia Cup – which had also taken in the T20 format. Sunday’s game was also the ninth time in the last 10 T20Is between India and Pakistan in which the chasing side emerged triumphant.

Here’s how social media reacted to India pulling off another victory in the 2025 Asia Cup: