In the 14th match (super fours) of the DP World Asia Cup 2025, India once again thrashed Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The reigning champions won the toss and decided to bowl first. India’s bowlers shown discipline and variation. Shivam Dube took two wickets, dismissing Farhan and Ayub. Hardik Pandya, who performed well in the powerplay, removed Fakhar Zaman early and kept things in check. Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket and managed the middle overs efficiently. Varun Chakaravarthy also impressed with his economics. The bowlers worked well together to keep Pakistan for just 171/5, which was 15-20 runs short.
Chasing 172, India’s openers got off to a flying start. Shubman Gill hammered 47 off 28 balls, setting the tone with aggressive strokeplay. Abhishek Sharma was the innings’ hero, scoring 74 runs off 39 balls, including six sixes and five fours. His counterattacking strategy kept India ahead of the needed run rate throughout. Though Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck and Sanju Samson laboured before being dismissed for 13, India never appeared to be under genuine strain. Following the dismissal of Abhishek and Samson, Tilak Varma delivered a composed and confident knock of 30 off 19 balls, with a strike rate of 157.89. Alongside him, Pandya remained undefeated on 7 off 7, assuring that there were no further setbacks. They finished the chase with seven balls to spare, demonstrating poise under pressure. The run rate was never allowed to become too high, due to early aggressiveness and a consistent finish.
Pakistan reached 171/5 in 20 overs, mainly to a controlled innings by Sahibzada Farhan, who hit 58 off 45 balls to anchor the batting following Fakhar Zaman’s early dismissal. Saim Ayub (21) and Mohammad Nawaz (21) made modest but valuable contributions. Pakistan, however, were unable to completely capitalise in the dying overs, despite a short late burst from Faheem Ashraf (20*) and *Salman Agha (17). They missed a huge finish and finished 15-20 runs short of what could have been a match-winning score.
Pakistan’s bowlers failed to create breakthroughs during the powerplay and conceded runs under pressure. Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, and Haris Rauf each took a wicket, with Rauf dismissing Suryakumar and Samson. But none could stop the Indian batters for long.
With this win, India begin their Super Four campaign with a start.
Scorecard:
Pakistan: 171/5, Overs 20, Sahibzada Farhan 58, Shivam Dube 2/33
India: 174/4, Overs 15.5, Abhishek Sharma 74, Haris Rauf 2/26
