Asia Cup 2025, IND vs PAK, Highlights: Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel’s 5/36 in middle overs power India past Pakistan.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 127/9 (Sahibzada Farhan 40, Shaheen Shah Afridi 33*, Kuldeep Yadav 3/18) lost to India 131/3 (Suryakumar Yadav 47*, Abhishek Sharma 31, Saim Ayub 3/35) by 7-wickets with 25 balls to spare.
India registered a dominant win over Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2025 clash, with Kuldeep Yadav’s brilliant bowling earning him a second successive Player of the Match award. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav finished the game in style with a six, sealing another commanding victory as India stamped their authority from start to finish.
Talking point: Kuldeep Yadav & Axar Patel’s middle-overs masterclass
In the middle overs, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel completely took charge with the ball. Between the seventh and 13th overs, they struck regularly, picking up 4–5 big wickets while hardly giving away runs. Their relentless accuracy and smart variations built constant pressure, leaving Pakistan no room to breathe. This brilliant spell in the middle overs broke the backbone of Pakistan’s innings and made sure India stayed on top right through.
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Indian spinners wreak havoc, Shaheen’s late blitz pushes Pakistan to 127/9
India’s bowlers bossed the first innings of the Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan in Dubai, restricting Salman Ali Agha’s side to 127/9 in 20 overs. The tone was set early as Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah struck in the first two overs, before the spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy took charge with six wickets between them, including 37 dot balls in the first 10 overs.
Sahibzada Farhan’s steady 40 off 44 and Fakhar Zaman’s counter-attacking strokes gave Pakistan brief hope, but wickets kept tumbling in clusters. The only late spark came from Shaheen Shah Afridi’s explosive 33 off 16 with four sixes, lifting Pakistan to a somewhat respectable total. Despite his cameo, India remained firmly in control at the halfway mark.
Suryakumar Yadav anchors India’s chase with composed 47*
Suryakumar Yadav led India brilliantly as they chased down Pakistan’s 128 with 4.1 overs to spare and seven wickets in hand. Early wickets of Abhishek Sharma (31 off 13) and Shubman Gill (10) briefly slowed the chase, but Yadav’s calm and composed 47* kept India firmly in control.
Tilak Varma played a timely supporting role, while a massive slog-sweep off Sufiyan Muqeem provided the perfect finishing touch. From the very first-ball dismissal of Saim Ayub, India dominated the match, and the chase ended in style, leaving Pakistan with little chance to fight back.
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Statistical highlights from IND vs PAK clash in Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025
- Kuldeep Yadav is India’s fourth leading wicket-taker (07) in the Men’s T20 Asia Cup.
- Jasprit Bumrah has become India’s fourth leading T20I wicket taker with 92 scalps. He overtakes Bhuvneshwar Kumar (90) in the list.
- For the first time in T20Is, Jasprit Bumrah has conceded a six against Pakistan. Sahibzada Farhan became the first Pakistan batter to do so.
- Pakistan’s 127/9 is their third lowest score batting first against India in T20Is.
- Suryakumar Yadav got his highest individual score (47*) against Pakistan in T20I career.
Points table scenario and what’s next
With a comfortable win today, India climbed to the top of Group A with 4 points, while Pakistan remained second with 2 points. The Men in Blue will take on Oman on September 19, 2025, at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, aiming to maintain their top spot in Group A.
Whereas, Pakistan will face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 17, 2025, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, looking to bounce back and strengthen their position in the group.
Read More: History of Asia Cup in T20 format: Top batters, bowlers & other numbers
