Finance
India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in their Asia Cup 2025 matchup, chasing down 128 in just 15.5 overs. Pakistan batted first on a pitch considered to suit chasers and scored a modest 127/9. The innings was defined by a string of early wickets, as India’s pace combo Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya struck swiftly to reduce Pakistan to 6/3 in the powerplay. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel then seized full charge, taking five wickets for 36 runs in eight overs. The only meaningful opposition came from Sahibzada Farhan, who struck 40 off 44 balls, and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late blitz of 33 off 16 deliveries, which set Pakistan a significantly more difficult goal.
India hammered Pakistan in the opening two overs, with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya blazing early. Hardik removed Saim Ayub with his first ball of the encounter, following a wide, before Bumrah struck to remove Mohammad Haris. Fakhar Zaman almost avoided LBW, thanks to a review. When Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan threatened to steal the match away from India, Axar Patel enters the fray and removes the deadly left-handed Zaman, sending Pakistan 3 down. Fakhar and Farhan helped Pakistan comeback from 6/2 to conclude the Powerplay at 42/2.
Pakistan suffered a series of wicket losses, leaving them in a dire situation. Kuldeep joined the celebration, taking two wickets in two deliveries. He missed a difficult caught and bowled opportunity but made amends the next ball, catching Hasan Nawaz. And the very next ball, he trapped Mohammad Nawaz out LBW, despite the review not saving him. Sahibzada Farhan kept the innings going with a steady 40 off 44 balls, but when he fell to become Kuldeep’s third wicket, it was only a matter of time before India closed up the innings.
The Asia Cup Group A match between India and Pakistan sparked a dispute. Suryakumar, India’s captain, snubbed the customary handshake with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Ali Agha, during the toss. Suryakumar declined to extend his hand when Ravi Shastri introduced the two skippers.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat against India in Match 6 of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Dubai International Stadium. Salman Ali Agha has remained with the lineup that defeated Oman, which means Haris Rauf will continue to sit out. Similarly, India remains unchanged from their match against the UAE. Arshdeep Singh misses out another again.
IND vs PAK, Asia Cup 2025: Playing XIs
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
