India enjoyed a dominant outing in their second Asia Cup 2025 group clash, comfortably defeating Pakistan by seven wickets at the Dubai International Stadium.
Chasing a modest target of 128, captain Suryakumar Yadav anchored the innings with a calm unbeaten 47 off 37 balls. He was ably supported by Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, who both scored 31 runs each. India wrapped up the chase in just 15.5 overs, finishing at 131-3.
For Pakistan, Saim Ayub was the lone bright spot, claiming all three Indian wickets with figures of 3 for 35.
Earlier, Pakistan’s batting faltered after opting to bat first. They managed just 127-9 in 20 overs against India’s disciplined bowling attack. India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Hardik Pandya struck with his very first delivery, dismissing Ayub for a duck, while Jasprit Bumrah quickly removed Mohammad Haris for 3, putting Pakistan under early pressure.
Sahibzada Farhan provided resistance with 40 off 44, but once Kuldeep Yadav dismissed him, the middle-order collapse followed. Kuldeep starred with a three-wicket burst, removing Farhan, Hasan Nawaz, and Mohammad Nawaz in quick succession. Axar Patel also chipped in with two crucial wickets, dismissing Fakhar Zaman (17) and skipper Salman Ali Agha (3). India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025
Varun Chakravarthy joined the party by removing Faheem Ashraf for 11, while Bumrah returned at the death to clean up Sufiyan Muqeem. Pakistan were only spared total embarrassment thanks to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late cameo – a blistering unbeaten 33 off 16 balls with four sixes. India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025
India’s bowlers were relentless, combining pace and spin to suffocate Pakistan’s batting. With the target proving too low, the Indian batters ensured a smooth finish, sealing back-to-back wins in the tournament.
