India produced a commanding performance to beat Pakistan by 7 wickets in their Asia Cup 2025 Group A clash at Dubai. The match began with a brilliant spell from India’s spin trio – Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy – who tore through Pakistan’s batting line-up, reducing them to just 127/9 in their 20 overs.
Chasing a modest target, Abhishek Sharma provided India with a solid start, hitting boundaries and sixes, keeping the scoreboard ticking. Even after the top-order wickets fell, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma stitched a calm and effective partnership to steer India home with ease. A small yet powerful cameo from Shivam Dube was also crucial.
The victory was more than just a win on the field. Coming in the backdrop of the political tensions following Operation Sindoor, the triumph served as an emotional moment for the Men in Blue.
The match highlighted the clear gap in quality between the two sides, as India secured a commanding victory over Pakistan, further cementing their recent dominance in this format.
India restrict PAK to a mere 127/9
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat, hoping to post a competitive total, but their top order faltered against India, with the first two wickets falling in the first two overs itself.
The defending champions’ bowing unit had yet another dominating outing, which kept the PAK batsmen quiet for most of the first innings.
Spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were excellent in the middle, not giving away too many runs, and taking wickets at regular intervals.
That being said, Pakistan did have a relatively explosive finish, which helped them post 127 on the board for the loss of 9 wickets.
India chase 128 with relative ease
With no early breakthroughs, defending 128 against India was always going to be a daunting task for Pakistan.
Abhishek Sharma set the tone from the very first delivery, charging at Shaheen Afridi and sending the ball straight down the ground for a boundary.
Despite losing three wickets to Saim Ayub, India’s chase remained comfortable throughout. The pitch offered true bounce, but Pakistan’s bowlers – Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Mohammad Nawaz – were outclassed by the Indian spin trio.
IND vs PAK Asia Cup Playing XIs
India – Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(WK), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Pakistan – Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris(WK), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (C), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
