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India pulled off yet another memorable chase against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 21. Notably, the Indian team won the toss and Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that his side would bowl first.
Pakistan got off to a solid start thanks to opener Sahibzada Farhan and No. 3 Saim Ayub. The pair put together a decent partnership, with Sahibzada scoring a fluent 58 off 45 balls, including five fours and three sixes, while Ayub broke his streak of three consecutive ducks by contributing 21 runs from 17 balls.
In the middle overs, Pakistan’s innings saw contributions from Mohammad Nawaz (21), captain Salman Agha (17*), and Faheem Ashraf (20*), helping the team reach a competitive total of 171/5. For India, Shivam Dube was the standout bowler in the middle overs, taking two crucial wickets. Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with one wicket each. Dube finished with figures of 2/33.
Chasing 172, India’s openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill laid the foundation with a fiery 105-run partnership for the first wicket. Gill scored 47 off 28 balls, while Abhishek smashed 74 from 39 balls. Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, however, departed for a duck. Sanju Samson added 13 runs, and Tilak Varma finished the match in style, scoring an unbeaten 30 off 19 balls to guide India to a six-wicket victory.
Talking Points
1. Sahibzada and Ayub’s clinical partnership
Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub’s 72-run stand from 49 balls for the second wicket gave Pakistan a strong platform. Sahibzada’s 58 was decorated with five fours and three sixes, while Ayub overcame his recent struggles to contribute 21 runs.
2. Dube’s masterclass in the middle overs
Introduced after the powerplay, Shivam Dube made a significant impact by dismissing two set batters and returning figures of 2/33, putting India back in control. He dismissed Saim Ayub with a brilliant catch by Abhishek Sharma and later took Sahibzada’s wicket in his spell.
3. Abhishek and Gill’s fiery opening stand
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill’s 105-run opening partnership set the tone for India’s chase. Their aggressive approach kept the required run rate under control and paved the way for a comfortable finish. Gill scored 47 off 28 balls, including eight fours, while Abhishek smashed 74 from 39 balls, decorated with six fours and five sixes.
Who Said What?
Abhishek Sharma, Player of the Match
Today was pretty simple, the way they were coming out to us without any reason, I did not like it at all. That’s why I went after them. I wanted to deliver for the team. We have been playing since school days, we enjoy each other’s company, we thought we would do it and today was the day. The way he was giving it back, I really enjoyed it. If you see someone playing like this, that’s the intent I show and I’m practicing really hard and if it’s my day, I’m gonna win it for my team.
Salman Agha, Pakistan (Losing Captain)
We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there. A great game but in the powerplay they took the game away from us. After 10 overs, we could have got 10-15 more. 170-180 is a good total but in the powerplay they batted well, that was the difference. If you see the bowlers are going for runs, you need to change it, that’s how it goes in T20s. There’s a lot of positives – the way Fakhar batted, Farhan batted and Harry bowled.
Suryakumar Yadav, India (Winning Captain)
The way the boys are stepping up in every game, it’s making my job very easy. The boys showed a lot of character. They were calm after the first 10 overs (of India’s bowling innings). After drinks, I told them the game starts now. That’s fine, he’s not a robot, he will have a bad day someday (talking about Bumrah). Dube bailed us out of the situation. They complement each other really well (Abhishek and Gill). It’s like a fire and ice combination. After the first innings, our fielding coach has emailed all players who had butter fingers today.
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