Asia Cup 2025: India Crushes Pakistan Yet Again, Suryakumar Yadav Declares Rivalry Dead

After India's emphatic six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours, captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed the long-standing notion of an India-Pakistan rivalry, saying the contests have become too one-sided to be considered competitive. He credited India's dominance, particularly in crucial phases of the game, for the team's continued success.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the 35-year-old was direct in his response when asked about the rivalry narrative. "You all should stop asking questions about this 'rivalry'. If a set of teams play 15 or 20 matches against each other and if the score is 7-7 or 8-7, then it's called a rivalry. 13-0, 10-1, I don't know the exact stat but this is not a rivalry anymore. I feel we played better cricket than them, between overs 7-15 and also from a bowling point of view," Suryakumar remarked.

Abhishek Sharma leads India's charge

India's openers provided a blistering start with a 105-run stand, the first century-plus opening partnership of this Asia Cup edition. Abhishek Sharma stole the show with a quickfire 74 from just 39 deliveries, hitting six fours and five sixes. Shubman Gill supported well, scoring 47 off 28 balls, decorated with eight boundaries. The partnership was broken at 105 when Gill fell, while Abhishek carried on until the 13th over before Haris Rauf dismissed him.

Despite Pakistan clawing back with wickets, India's foundation proved too strong. Captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a duck, while Rishabh Pant managed 13 runs. However, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma steadied the chase with a calm, unbeaten 26-run partnership. Varma's fluent 30 off 19 balls and Pandya's seven from seven ensured India crossed the finish line comfortably.

Pakistan's innings falls short

Earlier, Pakistan posted 171/5, with Sahibzada Farhan anchoring the innings with 58 from 45 deliveries. India's bowlers restricted further damage - Shivam Dube returned figures of 2/33, while Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav kept things tight. Jasprit Bumrah had a rough outing, conceding 45 runs in his four overs.

India's all-round performance secured yet another dominant win, strengthening their record against Pakistan and further fueling Suryakumar Yadav's claim that the so-called rivalry is now a thing of the past.