Dubai, UAE – Pakistan’s long wait to beat India in a men’s cricket match continues after their Asia Cup 2025 fixture ended in a thumping seven-wicket win for the defending champions in Dubai.
Opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls, and captain Suryakumar Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament on Sunday.
It was the Sharma show from the first ball of India’s run chase as the young opener took apart Pakistan’s experienced pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in his first over.
Sharma, the top-ranked men’s Twenty20 (T20) batter, hit the first ball for a four and followed it up with a six over the cover fielder.
He would go on to hit another six and three more fours before falling to part-time spinner Saim Ayub.
Ayub, whose main role in the team is as an opening batter, was the sole wicket-taker for Pakistan as he also dismissed Shubman Gill for 10 (7) and Tilak Varma for a run-a-ball 31.
Despite the loss of three wickets, India never looked to be struggling in the run chase, which was sealed with a six by Suryakumar in the 16th over.
Earlier, when Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first, it seemed like the right call as the Dubai pitch has slowed down in the second innings in the earlier matches.
However, Pakistan were dealt an early blow when Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling on the first ball of the match.
One-down batter Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.
While Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman briefly revived Pakistan’s innings, India’s trio of spinners ensnared six wickets in 10 overs to leave Pakistan scrambling to finish their 20 overs.
It wasn’t until Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over.
The late flourish helped Pakistan set a relatively respectable target of 128, but it was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup.
India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match between the archrivals.
Pakistan, meanwhile, were left to rue another missed opportunity.
Agha’s team play their next match against the UAE on Wednesday, while India face Oman on Friday.
