Dubai — In the high-pressure Asia Cup 2025 group match at the Dubai International Stadium, Pakistan’s innings never really got going after winning the toss and choosing to bat first. Saim Ayub was out for a golden duck on the very first ball, caught by Jasprit Bumrah off Hardik Pandya, and Mohammad Haris followed soon after. At 6 for 2, Pakistan were already in trouble.
Sahibzada Farhan tried to rebuild with a steady 40 off 44 balls, but wickets kept falling around him. Fakhar Zaman made 17, but Kuldeep Yadav’s spin proved too much for the middle order. Kuldeep took three wickets for just 18 runs, removing Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz and Farhan in quick succession.
The only late fight came from Shaheen Shah Afridi, who smashed 33 not out from 16 balls, hitting four sixes. Sufiyan Muqeem added a quick 10, but Pakistan could only reach 127 for 9 in their 20 overs.
India’s chase started with fireworks. Abhishek Sharma blasted 31 from 13 balls, hitting four boundaries and two sixes. Saim Ayub gave Pakistan some hope by taking all three wickets to fall including Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, finishing with 3 for 35.
However, captain Suryakumar Yadav stayed calm and in control, scoring an unbeaten 47 from 37 balls. With support from Shivam Dube, India reached the target in just 15.5 overs, winning by seven wickets with 25 balls to spare.
Key moments included Kuldeep Yadav’s triple strike in the middle overs, Abhishek Sharma’s explosive start and Suryakumar Yadav’s composed finish which ensured India’s dominance in this much-anticipated clash.