India Cruise Past Pakistan to Enter Asia Cup Super Four

Darwin, 15 September – An India-Pakistan clash always promises high-voltage action, and though the teams were packed with fresh faces this time — with Gill and Abhishek replacing Kohli and Rohit, and young guns like Saim and Agha stepping in for Babar and Rizwan — the contest turned out to be a one-sided affair. India comfortably beat Pakistan by 7 wickets to become the first team to qualify for the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first, posting a modest total of 127 for 9 in their 20 overs. In reply, India chased down the target in just 15.5 overs, losing only 3 wickets. Captain Suryakumar Yadav top-scored with 47 runs.

Chasing the modest target of 128, India’s openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill came out swinging. Although Gill departed early for just 10 runs, Abhishek Sharma continued his explosive innings, smashing 31 runs off just 13 balls to give India a flying start.

Following his dismissal, captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma built a solid partnership, adding 56 runs for the third wicket. Tilak was eventually dismissed for a steady 31 off 31 balls with the team score at 97. Later, Shivam Dube joined Yadav and saw the team through to a comfortable win.

Earlier, Pakistan suffered a setback right at the start of their innings. On just the second ball of the match, Saim Ayub was dismissed for a duck by Hardik Pandya. Soon after, Jasprit Bumrah removed Mohammad Haris, and Pakistan were reduced to 6 for 2.

Trying to steady the innings, Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman put together 39 runs off 38 balls for the third wicket. Pakistan scored 42 runs during the powerplay (first 6 overs). However, in the 8th over, Axar Patel broke the partnership as Fakhar Zaman (17 off 15) was caught trying to charge down the track.

That wicket triggered a collapse. Captain Agha Salman (3) and Hasan Nawaz (5) couldn’t add much, both falling in the same over to Kuldeep Yadav. Mohammad Nawaz was trapped LBW by Kuldeep for a duck. While Sahibzada Farhan kept fighting at one end, scoring a gritty 40 off 44 balls, he too eventually fell to Kuldeep.

At 97 for 8, Pakistan looked in danger of being bowled out for under 100. However, Shaheen Shah Afridi played a quickfire cameo, smashing 33* off just 16 balls, including 4 sixes, to push the score to a somewhat respectable 127.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav took 3 wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel picked up 2 each.