On Sunday, September 21, India will meet Pakistan for the second time in the 2025 Asia Cup.
This high-voltage showdown is set to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium during the continental competition’s Super-Four stage.
Before the match, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin pondered on skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s comments at the pre-match press conference, in which the Indian T20I captain cheekily dismissed the “rivalry” storyline. When asked about Pakistan, Suryakumar preferred not to address them directly, instead stating that when large crowds are present, his team’s responsibility is just “to entertain.”
Ashwin believes Suryakumar did not avoid the topic, but rather reflected the team’s confidence and domination over Pakistan in recent years.
“The Indian team has not played down (the hype). The Indian team has merely stated the truth as is. There is nothing further to say about it. “That is simply the truth,” Ashwin stated in a video on his own YouTube channel.
He went on to say, “Suryakumar Yadav simply expressed what the Indian team’s players were feeling. That is their reality, their problem, and we have nothing to do with it.”
India has not lost a Twenty20 International match since September 2022. Since then, the Men in Blue have defeated their bitter enemies three times. The match between these two teams in Group A of the ongoing Asia Cup turned out to be one-sided.
Pakistan were restricted to 127/9 after Kuldeep Yadav shined with three wickets. Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah each took two wickets, as Salman Ali Agha’s choice to bat first after winning the toss backfired.
In reply, India got off to a fantastic start thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s hitting prowess inside the powerplay. The left-handed batter amassed 31 runs off just 13 balls. Shubman Gill was dismissed cheaply, while Tilak Varma made a run-a-ball 31.
Suryakumar’s unbeaten 47 off 37 balls helped India romp home in 15.5 overs, with seven wickets to spare. All three Indian wickets fell to Saim Ayub’s part-time spin-bowling.
India
