Same old story: India crush listless Pakistan in clash of unequals at Asia Cup

It was a mismatch, as many had predicted. What began with a snub of handshakes at the toss ended with India spanking Pakistan in a one-sided Asia Cup 2025 contest on Sunday in Dubai. The world champions restricted Pakistan to a paltry 127 and then chased down the target with 25 balls to spare, registering one of their biggest wins over their arch-rivals in the shortest format of the game.

Pakistan’s T20 cricket belongs to a bygone era, and Sunday’s performance was yet more proof. Aside from a bullish speech at the toss from captain Salman Ali Agha, none of Pakistan’s moves against India on Sunday carried any boldness. Unsurprisingly, they were duly punished for playing timid, listless cricket, never once looking in the contest across its four-hour span.

Asia Cup, India vs Pakistan: Highlights | Scorecard

Shaheen Afridi, a tail-ender, topping the batting charts, and Saim Ayub, a first-choice opener, finishing as the leading wicket-taker, spoke volumes about Pakistan’s plight — a glaring lack of collective effort when it was most required to challenge the top-ranked Indians.

With this dominant seven-wicket victory, India moved closer to a place in the next stage of the tournament — the Super 4s. Having already demolished the UAE in their fastest-ever T20I chase last week, India now sit comfortably atop the Group A table with four points from two matches and a healthy Net Run Rate of over four.

Few had expected Pakistan to seriously trouble India on Sunday, yet the Men in Green once again fell short of the occasion, surrendering the hype around the rivalry and allowing India to dictate terms in both innings. Having won the toss on a two-paced pitch, they might have trusted their bowling attack and set their sights on 160. Instead, their batters showed little sense, squandering their starts and settling for a total so underwhelming it would scarcely have tested India even on an off day.

India did not have it all their own way, despite Abhishek Sharma giving them a flying start with his 13-ball 31. There were passages of play when their batters were tested, but Tilak Varma (31 off 31) and Suryakumar Yadav (47 off 37) displayed the composure and game awareness that Pakistan so clearly lacked.

PAKISTAN LOVE THE DOT BALLS

In the battle of two spin-heavy teams, it was India’s spinners who stamped their authority. Kuldeep Yadav led the charge, with Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy providing ample support. The trio shared seven wickets between them, conceding just 60 runs in 12 overs. Pakistan’s batters were utterly at sea against spin, especially against Kuldeep, the left-arm wrist-spinner whose wizardry has consistently confounded opponents throughout this tournament.

The 2009 world champions played 63 dot balls out of 120 — more than 10 overs without a run scored — succumbing to the relentless pressure applied by India’s spin trio. Most of their batters, including senior players Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Haris, sought glory shots instead of keeping the scoreboard ticking, exposing a lack of tactical nous and temperament.

Legendary Wasim Akram was furious with Pakistan's approach with the bat. He did not hold back when he said 'they can't read him', heaping praise on Kuldeep's match-winning show with the ball.

More to follow.