“This is not a rivalry anymore....”: Suryakumar Yadav after India beat Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025

In the Asia Cup 2025, India once again achieved a victory over Pakistan, defeating their rivals in the Super Four match on Sunday in Dubai by six wickets. This victory marked India's second win over Pakistan in eight days and reflected the difference in the two teams in the past few years.

Abhishek, Gill at the Opener

The highlight of India's run chase was opener Abhishek Sharma, who scored a 39-ball 74, which featured six fours and five sixes. Abhishek and his opening partner Shubman Gill (47 off 28) had a 105-run opening stand, India's first century partnership of this Asia Cup, which facilitated India's run chase of 172.

Pakistan showed some fight with wickets taken in the middle overs, but the opening stand they set was enough to see India home victorious. It was left to Tilak Varma (30* off 19) and Hardik Pandya (7* off 7) to finish the game off – India won by six wickets, with seven balls spare.

Suryakumar’s Unfiltered View on Rivalry

However, the post-match headlines were not only about India's victory, but also about captain Suryakumar Yadav's frank statements. When asked about the India–Pakistan rivalry, he dismissed it entirely.

“You guys should stop asking about this rivalry. If two teams play 15–20 matches and it’s 7–7 or 8–7, then you call it a rivalry. But if it’s 10–1 or 13–0, I don’t know the exact stat, this is not a rivalry anymore. I feel we played better cricket than them, both with the bat and the ball,” Yadav said.

The captain's comments came in light of Pakistan's one-sided record against India in recent years. In T20Is, for example, India's record is now 12-3. In fact, India has won seven completed matches in a row against Pakistan in all formats, including a 228-run drubbing in the 2023 Asia Cup and a nail-biting victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

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Fielding, Bowling, and Key Moments 

India did exhibit some fielding fumbles, having dropped multiple catches early in Pakistan's innings. Suryakumar added some humor: “I think the fielding coach has already emailed players whose hands had some butter on them. But it’s good this happened early on because we have more crucial games ahead. Floodlights can’t be an excuse.”

Pakistan's 171/5 had a foundation of 58 from Sahibzada Farhan, but India's bowlers had a grip on the game through the middle overs. Shivam Dube (2/33) was the highlight of the Indian bowling effort with a full four-over spell that accounted for both Farhan and Saim Ayub - a spell that Suryakumar commented was "the turning point of the match." Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav were economical, while Jasprit Bumrah had an outlier with an expense spell.

Praise for the Openers

Abhishek Sharma's opening performance earned some special words from his captain: "He is a very selfless player. He assesses situations beautifully, and he is improving every day. The dynamic between he and Shubman is beautiful - they are ice and fire."

India in Charge

The win solidified India's standing during the Super Four phase and confirmed their favorites' status in the tournament. More importantly, it illustrated the balance within the squad - they had power-hitting at the top, stability in the middle, and breakthroughs with the ball.

For Pakistan, the defeat was yet another reminder of the increasing lopsidedness of a fixture once regarded as world cricket's greatest rivalry. And if the words of Suryakumar Yadav are anything to go by, that rivalry may now belong more to the past than to the present.