India emphasized their dominance over Pakistan in T20 cricket once again, sealing a six-wicket victory in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match in Dubai on Sunday, September 21. The win was set up from a scorching, 105-run opening stand between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, which also improved the Men in Blue's winning streak in the tournament to four.

After bowling first, India bowled Pakistan for 171/5 with Shivam Dube leading the way at 2/33. Both Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with a wicket apiece. In response, India was led by Abhishek's firey 39-ball 74 and Gill's 47 off just 28 balls, as it did not take long for the Men in Blue to reel it in. Tilak Varma finished not out at 30* in the over and a half.

The emphatic result led to strong reactions from former players and experts alike. We take a look at the five best expert takes on India's latest triumph over their arch-rivals.

Murali Kartik 

Former spinner Murali Kartik commended India’s new openers for responding positively after a few hiccups in the field earlier. Kartik believed the match could have even ended earlier had Gill not departed mid-chase. 

“From 91 at halftime, getting only 80 more. And the way the Indian openers started – if we didn’t have the injury and Shubman Gill getting out, I thought by the 14/15th over this game would have been over. It was an easy win in the end, but the credit must go to the openers for batting so positively and forgetting about those dropped catches,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.

This was India’s highest opening partnership against Pakistan in T20Is, eclipsing the 77-run partnership of Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane in 2012.

Sunil Gavaskar

Iconic batsman Sunil Gavaskar praised Suryakumar Yadav’s side for responding to the pressure after the commotion in the previous group-stage meeting when India neglected to engage in the customary post-match handshake. 

“I think after all the halla-bullu that happened after the last game, the pressure was definitely on the Indians. Yes, there was pressure to win the match in style, given everything that happened on Sunday. But, they showed that they had the temperament to deal with all of that and perform under pressure," Gavaskar told India Today.

Harbhajan Singh 

Harbhajan Singh, a former off-spin bowler, made a point about the disparity between the two sides, noting that India sees true competition in teams that dominate worldwide - not in teams from Asia.

"Pakistan is a young team, but right now they don't have that strength. The way their pacers were hit off in the first six overs speaks to India's level being above. India's contest is not with Pakistan or Afghanistan or any Asian team - it is with Australia and England," Harbhajan said on Sports Tak.

India are the defending Asia Cup champions and have now won the trophy a record total of eight times.

ALSO SEE: Star International player to come out of retirement: Know who he is

Ravichandran Ashwin

Veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was forthright in his evaluation, stating that the current Indian team is on a different level entirely.

“There is a big difference between emotion and skill. The previous generation matches between India and Pakistan had their share of emotion which would lead to mistakes. This Indian team is on a different league altogether. This Pakistan team is a long, long, long, long way away. The best way Pakistan can win this Asia Cup is if India don’t play,” remarked Ashwin his YouTube channel Ash ki Baat.

At this stage in the history of the Asia Cup, India has a decisive head-to-head record, winning 13 matches out of the 22 played.

Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan, a former all-rounder, appreciated the Indian bowling unit, which managed to limit Pakistan to a modest total despite the star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah having a rare off day (0/45 in 4 overs). He also referred to the "impact" of Shivam Dube as the sixth bowler. 

"If a big bowler like Jasprit Bumrah has a bad day, whichever team he is representing usually struggles. But after Bumrah was subpar, India did not let Pakistan cross 200 runs, which shows the quality of the Indian bowling unit: spin and the sixth pacer. This is where Pakistan is behind - in batting and bowling. There is a very huge gap. India are way ahead," Pathan said on his YouTube channel. 

Dube's two wickets of Sahibzada Farhan - 58 and Saim Ayub - 21 were also important in stemming Pakistan's start.

Dominance Continues

India's victory not only bolstered their culture credentials for the Asia Cup but simultaneously extended the illusory gap between the two rivals even more. While Pakistan continues its inconsistency, analysts suggest that India's plan will be to challenge themselves against the true best in world cricket — Australia and England. 

For now, Suryakumar Yadav's team represents the challenge for the rest of Asia, breezing into the next phase of the 2025 Asia Cup as the only unbeaten team entering the business end of the tournament.

The former left-arm spinner of the Indian team, Murli Karthik, has criticized the behavior of the Pakistan side around their boycott drama in the Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Due to the handshake controversy during the India game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the PCB threatened to pull itself out of the tournament.

At first, they sent a letter requesting the removal of the match referee, Andy Pycroft, from the rest of the tournament before sending another letter on September 17 to remove the official from the Pakistan games. But the ICC didn’t accept any of these before the game against the UAE was delayed for an hour.  

See Also: [WATCH] Rohit Sharma plays 'don't spill the water' game with his daughter as video goes viral

“The only word I can think of right now is absolutely childish. If you want to take a stance, then go ahead. But stick to it. Just because you saw there is a financial implication of 16M US Dollars over handshake sag, you backed down. Even kids in kindergarten don’t behave like this.” Karthik revealed during a recent interaction on Cricbuzz.

Watch: Murli Karthik slams Pakistan’s childish behaviour on Asia Cup 2025 boycott drama

Karthik compared the behavior of the Salman Ali Agha-led side with the kids in the kindergarten. He felt that any team should stick to their stance on the entire issue. Along with him, Sunil Gavaskar’s son, Rohan Gavaskar, also reflected on the situation and reckoned that the fans for the Pakistan side would have to stay late at night to see their heroes.

'Absolutely Childish from Pakistan'@kartikmurali & @rohangava9 react, on Cricbuzz Live#AsiaCup2025 #PAKvUAE pic.twitter.com/PQajHcyLBj

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) September 17, 2025

“Again, it’s very funny, and you are holding so many people for no reason. I am not saying this just because it’s Pakistan. For any team, if you want to take a stand, take it and go home. Don’t suddenly think, ‘ohh noo!!! They are not holding it. It’s like bargaining.” Karthik highlighted.

“People are watching at home, and suddenly the game gets delayed for an hour. Even the fans in Pakistan, kids in Pakistan, will now have to stay quite late at night, just because they want to see their heroes playing the game.” Rohan Gavaskar explained in the same video.

Former India spinner Murali Kartik acknowledged India's remarkable strength in cricket, emphasizing that even established players who have performed extremely well are finding it hard to get into the national team. His comments came after India’s dominant win over Pakistan in their Group A Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 14. Suryakumar Yadav’s side chased down the 128-run target with seven wickets to spare in just 15 overs.

Kartik pointed out how players like Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, despite their proven talent, missed out on the Asia Cup squad. Sudharsan, the 2025 IPL Orange Cap winner, was one of the most notable omissions. He also highlighted how Punjab opener Abhishek Sharma set the tone against Pakistan by smashing Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six on the very first ball of the innings.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Kartik said, “Just think of the kind of players who are missing out. Somebody like Sai Sudharsan, an Orange cap holder, can’t make the side. Washington Sundar can’t make the side. Ruturaj Gaikwad can’t make the side. Arshdeep Singh can’t make the XI. These are the kind of players you are talking about.”

Kartik on IPL’s Standard vs International Cricket

The former left-arm spinner underlined how India’s fearless approach, especially Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive start, showed the sheer quality in the side. “Just the way they played yesterday. The first ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi is not even a sighter, which Abhishek Sharma needs. He runs down the track. That is the kind of talent you are talking about. Yesterday, India looked possibly the best from the side view. There was no comparison at all,” he said.

See Also: Asia Cup 2025: 'Our main concern is the middle overs' – Bangladesh spin consultant flags key challenge ahead of must-win tie vs Afghanistan

Kartik further argued that the Indian Premier League is more competitive than international cricket. “Just think of the number of sides, and this is no disrespect to any side. We talk about international cricket, which means these are countries playing, and you just take the quality of all the IPL sides 1-10. Think of the 10th team, anybody, that is a year that could go wrong for any franchise, but think of the quality in the 10th-placed side that can actually beat most of the international sides. So IPL is a tough gig. It is tougher than international cricket,” he concluded. India have already sealed their Super-Four spot and will face Oman in their last group match on Friday, September 19, in Abu Dhabi.

Former India spinner Murali Kartik has weighed in on Karun Nair's position in India's playing XI for the upcoming fourth Test against England, starting Wednesday, July 23, at Old Trafford in Manchester. After returning to the Test side following an eight-year absence, Nair has struggled to deliver the impactful performances expected of him. Kartik believes the pressure is now mounting on the 33-year-old due to his underwhelming showings so far in the series.

"Karun Nair banged and broke the door, did everything, and made a comeback. That is why he has been in the 11 as well. But from No. 5 or 6, he was shifted up to No. 3 as he has experience. Given the number of runs he scored, he got a chance because of that. But has he grabbed the opportunity so far? I don't think so, and there will be a lot of pressure on him," Kartik said during an appearance on Cricbuzz.

When asked if Nair should stay on for the fourth Test, Kartik acknowledged the importance of continuity of team selection. However, he also reiterated that players cannot expect to be selected and just be in the playing XI without backing up that selection with some form. "Will India look at continuity? They should. Because if you are playing any player with some logic, you want the player to prove that right. But it is also important to see if the player has converted the runs based on the experience. Has he done it? Maybe not. So it will be interesting to see what Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill think about him for the next game," Kartik added.

Nair’s Mixed Returns Since Comeback

Karun Nair’s recall was based on his stellar 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season, where he scored 863 runs at an average of 53.93, including four centuries and two fifties. However, his returns in the current England series have been modest, having only 131 runs from six innings, at an average of 21.83. He has had a few starts, including a top score of 40, but has not been able to kick on.

See Also: [WATCH] 'Never going to be an Orange Cap winner' – Jos Buttler uses RCB star as example to highlight impact of data in T20 cricket

With the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India is looking for stable options in the top and middle order. However, the presence of alternatives like Sai Sudharsan and Abhimanyu Easwaran puts Nair’s place in jeopardy. If he gets picked for the fourth Test, it could be a make-or-break moment for the experienced right-hander.