Asia Cup 2025: Gavaskar Lauds India's Dominant, Aggressive T20 Strategy After Pakistan Rout

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was all praise for India's new attacking approach in T20I cricket. The former Indian skipper hailed India's approach as they went on to pummel Pakistan in the group-stage fixture of the Asia Cup on Sunday, September 14.

Speaking exclusively to India Today, Gavaskar appreciated India for not taking their foot off the pedal when they could have chased down the total, taking their own sweet time. Instead, the Indian batting unit went hard right from the first ball as they completed the chase with seven wickets and 25 balls to spare.

"It’s a fabulous win. Look at the margin of victory and the number of overs left — it was comprehensive. The way the spinners bowled, and then the confident chase, shows how well the team is performing. It really bodes well for the rest of the tournament," Gavaskar commented.

After being asked to bowl first, the tension was palpable from both teams. Skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, ignored the customary handshake at the toss, signalling that they were here just to play the game – nothing more, nothing less. And the bowlers wreaked havoc right from the get-go as the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah kept the batters quiet for the most part to restrict Pakistan to a meagre total of 127.

The aggression continued from the Indian team in the second innings, and Abhishek Sharma set the tone for the chase as he hammered Shaheen Afridi for boundaries in the first two deliveries. Then on, despite Saim Ayub's impressive spell, it was just a matter of time until the Indian team took the win as the skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, stuck around till the end, and the birthday boy finished things off in style. Gavaskar suggested that there couldn't be a better birthday gift for the Indian captain.

"Exactly! As a sportsperson, if you have a match on your birthday, all you want is to win. And that's what Surya got — a victory and a top knock to go with it. Perfect birthday gift," he said.

A NEW TEMPLATE FOR T20 CRICKET

In fact, the legendary batter admitted that this was the new template with which the shortest format in the sport would be played from here on, and the win was a message not just to Pakistan, but to the rest of the cricketing world.

"Absolutely. This was India sending a message not just to Pakistan, but to the entire cricketing world. This is the new template: attacking from the very first ball. When you have batting depth — someone like Axar Patel batting at 7 or 8 who can clear the ropes — the top-order batters have the licence to play freely," Gavaskar said.

"Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, in particular, are unafraid to play their shots. They’ve been setting solid platforms for Surya, Tilak Verma, and Shivam Dube to capitalise on. It’s a fantastic approach to T20 cricket," he added.