India has defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the second Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2025. With this, the Men in Blue have taken their first step towards a place in the final.
The India vs Pakistan Super Fours game was Match 14 of the Asia Cup 2025. The game was played in the Dubai International Stadium and saw India win the toss, deciding to bowl first.
India vs Pakistan: India Beats Pakistan For Second Time In A Row
The Pakistani batting got off to a solid start. 11 runs were scored in the first two overs, of which Jasprit Bumrah conceded 11. But then, in the third over, Hardik Pandya took the first wicket, dismissing opener Fakhar Zaman for 15 off nine.
But then, the Men in Green formed a solid partnership. Saim Ayub, who was demoted to No. 3 in this match after three consecutive ducks, batted with opener Sahibzada Farhan for the next eight overs. While Farhan took the attacking role, Ayub played the anchor.
No more wickets fell until the 10th over mark, with Pakistan scoring 91 runs in 10 overs. But then, in the 11th over, Saim Ayub was dismissed by Shivan Dube, with Abhishek Sharma, who had dropped two catches in this game earlier, finally holding on to one.
Hussain Talat then accompanied Sahibzada on the pitch for some time but got out in the 14th over by Kuldeep Yadav, who had also dropped a catch earlier in the match. And then, an over later, Sahibzada Farhan got out after scoring a half-century, getting dismissed by Dube for 58 off 45.
At 115/4 in the 15th over, Pakistan needed a speed boost; however, the pair of Mohammad Nawaz and captain Salman Ali Agha would not provide that. It wasnâ€t until the 19th over, after Nawas was run out a couple of deliveries ago, that the score reached 150.
But with 14 runs scored in the final over, helped by a quickfire 20 off eight by Faheem Ashraf, Pakistan managed to reach a solid total of 171/5 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube was the pick of the bowlers, bowling a four-over spell of 2/33. Meanwhile, Sahibzada Farhan, with his 58, was the highest run scorer.
But then came the Men in Blueâ€s turn to bat, and they started dominating right from the first ball, as Abhishek Sharma hit Shaheen Afridi for a six on the first ball of the inning.
The opening pair of Sharma and Shubman Gill made 69 runs in the powerplay without losing any wickets. This partnership then went to the 100-run mark in the ninth over, and it wasnâ€t until the 10th over, when Faheem Ashraf would dismiss Gill for 47 off 28, that Pakistan took their first wicket for a total of 105.
However, in the very next over, captain Suryakumar Yadav got out for a duck. With India losing two quick wickets, one wouldnâ€t be at fault for thinking that the Men in Blue were in trouble. But with Abhishek Sharma causing a storm at the other end, India was still the overwhelming favourite.
But Abhishek Sharma did lose his wicket soon after, having made 74 off 39 before being dismissed by Abrar Ahmed in the 13th over. So with two new batters at the crease in the form of Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson, there was truly some trouble brewing.
So, noticing the trend of falling wickets, Tilak and Samson parked the bus on a cricket pitch. Both Varma and Sanju seemed to have been playing an ODI for all their time at the pitch.
Sanju Samson, the Player of the Match of the game against Oman, was dismissed in the 17th over for 13 off 17, with India still needing 24 runs off 20 deliveries.
This was the point where Tilak Varma picked up the pace, taking his strike rate from below 100 to over 150. He, along with a supporting Hardik Pandya, took the team home in the 19th over as India won the match by six wickets with seven balls to spare.
For his blistering knock of 74 runs off 39 balls with six 4s and five 6s, Abhishek Sharma was named the Player of the Match.
With their win in this India vs Pakistan Super Fours match, the Men in Blue have taken a massive step towards a place in the final. They will now face Bangladesh in their next match on Wednesday, September 24th. On the other hand, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in their next match on Tuesday, the 23rd.
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
Discover more from 6up.net
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.