India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav downplayed the hype surrounding his side’s rivalry with Pakistan after a six-wicket win in the Asia Cup Super Four clash in Dubai on Sunday.
India chased down 172 with 1.1 overs to spare, powered by opener Abhishek Sharma’s blazing 74 and a 105-run stand with Shubman Gill. It was India’s second victory over Pakistan in the tournament within a week and their 12th in 15 T20I encounters overall.
When asked if India’s dominance was diminishing the traditional rivalry, Suryakumar responded bluntly. He said that a rivalry can only exist when teams are evenly matched over several encounters, adding that “13-0 or 10-1 is not a rivalry anymore.”
Pakistan’s last win in a T20I against India came during the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2022. The two sides have not played bilateral cricket since 2012 due to political tensions, facing each other only in multinational tournaments.
Pakistan had made a strong start, racing to 93-1 in 9.3 overs with opener Sahibzada Farhan scoring 58 off 45 balls. However, their momentum slowed as they finished on 171-5, which skipper Salman Agha admitted was 15 to 20 runs short. He said his side had not played a perfect game yet in the tournament and that their bowlers failed to contain India’s openers.
Suryakumar, meanwhile, credited India’s comprehensive performance with both bat and ball, highlighting the impact of dropped catches but stressing that his team was simply better. He praised Sharma’s maturity, saying the young left-hander understood bowlers’ strategies and improved with every match.
Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, hoping to keep their campaign alive. In the other Super Four game, Bangladesh secured a four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Dubai on Saturday.
