IND Vs PAK, Asia Cup 2025: 5 Talking Points From India's Thrilling 6-Wicket Win Over Pakistan

India beat Pakistan by six wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash, chasing 172 in 18.5 overs. Key performances from Abhishek Sharma (74), Shubman Gill (47), Tilak Varma (30*), and Shivam Dube (2/33) extended India's T20I dominance over Pakistan.

Team India pulled off a commanding six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 21. This was the second face-off between two arch-rivals after the Pahalgam terror attack and the first since India's handshake snub.

With a 172-run target, Team India chased it down in 18.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma led the run chase with a brilliant knock of 74 off 39 balls while forming a 105-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill, who scored 47 off 28 balls. Tilak Varma (30*) also contributed significantly to India's run chase.

As Team India won the second round of the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan, let's take a look at the Men in Blue's commanding victory over the arch-rivals.

Team India all-rounder Shivam Dube made a vital contribution to India's bowling, restricting Pakistan to 171/5 despite a fifty from Sahibzada Farhan (58) and a late blitz by Faheem Ashraf (20* off 8 balls) in the lower order of Pakistan's batting line-up. Dube picked two crucial wickets of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada to tilt the momentum in India's favour and set up a manageable chase for Team India.

Shivam Dube registered figures of 2/33 at an economy rate of 8.20 in four overs. The all-rounder's role in breaking the 93-run stand between Saim and Sahibzada proved decisive, preventing Pakistan from putting up a bigger total on the board and giving India the upper hand early in the match.

One of the major talking points from India's victory over Pakistan was the Men in Blue's sloppy fielding during the arch-rivals' batting. The dropped catches, particularly in the middle overs, allowed Pakistan to add crucial runs to their total and extend partnerships, though India managed to recover in time to restrict Pakistan below 200.

India dropped a total of dropped a total of four catches during Pakistan's innings. Abhishek Sharma dropped Sahibzada Farhan twice in the opening over and the 8th over, which conceded a six. Later, Kuldeep Yadav and Shubman Gill dropped straightforward chances off Saim Ayub and Faheem Ashraf, allowing Pakistan to add more runs to their total. However, India managed to set up a manageable target.

In the last three matches against the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman, Abhishek Sharma consistently scored 30+ scores with his explosive performances, but failed to convert them into a big score. However, in the match against Pakistan, the left-handed opener turned his game around by not only unleashing his carnage but also converting his explosive starts into a substantial score, playing a brilliant knock of 74 off 39 balls.

Abhishek Sharma is currently the leading run-getter of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, amassing 173 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 43.25 and an impressive strike rate of 208.43 in four matches. If he continues his impressive form, Abhishek can break Mohammad Rizwan's record of 281 runs in a single edition of the Asia Cup T20.

The middle-order batter Tilak Varma made a vital contribution to India's run chase. Varma walked out to bat after Suryakumar Yadav's dismissal at 106/2. Varma was hoping to form good partnerships with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson (13), but their dismissals left him with the responsibility of chasing down the target. He did it.

After Samson's dismissal at 148/4, Tilak Varma took charge of India's run chase and played a crucial unbeaten knock of 30 off 19 balls while forming a 26-run stand for the fifth wicket with Hardik Pandya (7* off 7 balls) to chase down the target. Varma hit a winning four to take Team India past the finishing line before the final over of the run chase.

With a commanding six-wicket victory over Pakistan, Team India further extended their dominance over the arch-rivals. In T20Is, the Men in Blue clinched their 12th victory over Pakistan in their 15th meeting, with only three losses, continuing their impressive winning streak. Interestingly, India won the last seven outings against Pakistan, including both Asia Cup 2025 encounters, showcasing their continued superiority in high-stakes clashes.

India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav dismissed the word 'rivalry' as he said,“You guys should stop asking about the rivalry. If there's a scoreline of 7-7 or 8-7, then it's called a rivalry. But if the scoreline is 10-1 or 10-0, it's not a rivalry anymore.”

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