‘Stop asking rivalry question’: Suryakumar Yadav makes a mockery of Pakistan after India’s Asia Cup 2025 victory

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India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in their Super 4 clash at the Asia Cup 2025, marking their second consecutive victory over their rivals in the tournament. Chasing a target of 172, India’s win was set up by a blistering opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who combined for 105 runs in under 10 overs. Despite a mini-collapse that saw the openers and captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed in quick succession, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya saw India home with seven balls to spare.

Following India’s commanding victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup, India’s captain, Suryakumar, dismissed the idea that the two nations have a true cricketing rivalry anymore.

In the post-match press conference, a Pakistani journalist asked Suryakumar if the gap in standards between the two teams was widening. Suryakumar responded by saying, “I would like to say one thing on this question. I feel that you should stop asking this question on the rivalry,”

When the journalist clarified that the question was about standards, not rivalry, the Indian captain continued with a smile, “Standards and rivalry are the same. According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches and if [head-to-head] it is 7-7 or 8-7, then that is called a rivalry. But 13-0, 10-1….I don’t know what the stats are. But this is not a rivalry anymore. But yeah, I feel we played better cricket than them,”

India have dominated Pakistan in recent years, winning seven consecutive men’s international matches since their last loss in the 2022 Asia Cup. The head-to-head record in T20Is is even more one-sided, with India holding a 12-3 advantage over Pakistan. Despite Pakistan’s historical lead in all formats combined (88-78), an entire generation of cricket fans has grown up watching India consistently defeat Pakistan, a testament to the recent dominance.

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When asked about the crucial phase of the game, Suryakumar pointed to the first drinks break during Pakistan’s innings. At the halfway mark, Pakistan were in a strong position with 91 for 1 in ten overs, their highest-ever half-time score against India in a T20I. Suryakumar explained that during this break, he rallied his team, and their body language and approach shifted. He said,

“According to me, the turning point was in the first drinks in the first innings. People changed their body language after that. You always see the game changes generally after the powerplay. But today, the game changed after ten overs, when the bowlers changed their line and lengths, understood what was needed in that situation, and showed a little more energy,”

The bowlers then put the brakes on Pakistan’s scoring, allowing only 38 runs in the next seven overs. Suryakumar credited Shivam Dube‘s spell as particularly decisive, even calling it a turning point. Dube, who bowled his full quota of four overs for just the third time in his career, finished with figures of 2/33, including the key wickets of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan.

Dube’s performance was especially crucial as it compensated for an off-day for Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded 45 runs without taking a wicket. Suryakumar praised Dube’s consistent preparation, stating, “He has been working really hard on his bowling in all the practice sessions…his preparations are always on point. And whenever he gets an opportunity like this, I think he will always be ready to deliver for the team,”

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