India continued its winning streak against Pakistan, securing a six-wicket victory in the opening Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2025. Chasing a target of 172, India's victory was made sure by 105-run opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. The win maintains India's perfect record in the tournament and extends their winning streak against Pakistan to four consecutive T20Is.
Having dropped five catches, the Indian opening pair compensated with the bat. Abhishek Sharma started with a six off the first ball from Shaheen Afridi and went on to score a 25-ball fifty, finishing with a maiden half-century of the tournament, scoring 74 off 39. Shubman Gill also contributed to the flow of runs, scoring 47 off 28. The pair got into an altercation with Harris Rauf, and a few skirmishes with Shaheen Afridi, scoring total of 69 runs in the PowerPlay.
Earlier, Pakistan's innings saw openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman start off easy, despite dropped catches, with a 72-run alliance for the second wicket between Farhan and Saim Ayub kept the momentum going. Farhan went on to complete a 34-ball half-century, scoring 58 runs. However, a 39-ball boundary drought in the middle overs, coupled with disciplined bowling from the spinners, allowed India to pull things back. Dube was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2 for 33.
The “no handshake” policy between the teams continued, with players from both sides avoiding the traditional post-match exchange. On the field, an early dismissal of Fakhar Zaman sparked some ruffled feathers in the Pakistan camp, as the third umpire ruled the ball had hit the wicketkeeper's gloves, a decision that was debated by many. Despite a late slump in their innings, Pakistan still managed to post a competitive total of 171 for five, thanks to Faheem Ashraf's late strikes.
After a mild hiccup where India lost four wickets for 43 runs, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya saw the team through to victory with seven balls to spare. This win, the seventh in a row for India against Pakistan in white-ball cricket, sets the stage for the upcoming matches, with a firm foot in contention for the final.
