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Team India kick-started their Super 4 stage campaign in the Asia Cup 2025 with a resounding six-wicket win over Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 21. The Men in Blue chased down the 172-run target with seven balls to spare and continued their winning run in the competition.
Opting to bowl first, the Indian new-ball bowlers were arguably put under the pump for the first time in the tournament. The Men in Green were in a comfortable position, scoring 91-1 off the first 10 overs, before India were able to pull things back with a brilliant spell by Shivam Dube. Pakistan, however, made a late surge in the death overs to reach the 170-run mark, and set a competitive target for the opposition.
In reply, Team India began their run chase on a dominant note, courtesy of their opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. The duo put on 105 runs in just 10 overs to set up a solid platform for the Men in Blue.
While India lost their way in the second half of the run chase, Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma's composure towards the end meant that the target was scaled without any major hiccups.
Asia Cup 2025 Most Runs
| 1 | Abhishek Sharma | 4 | 4 | 173 | 43.25 | 208.43 | 17 | 12 |
| 2 | Pathum Nissanka | 4 | 4 | 146 | 36.50 | 148.98 | 16 | 4 |
| 3 | Sahibzada Farhan | 4 | 4 | 132 | 33.00 | 101.54 | 7 | 6 |
| 4 | Towhid Hridoy | 4 | 4 | 127 | 42.33 | 124.51 | 6 | 3 |
| 5 | Kusal Mendis | 4 | 4 | 122 | 40.67 | 125.77 | 13 | 3 |
| 6 | Litton Das | 4 | 4 | 119 | 29.75 | 129.35 | 13 | 1 |
| 7 | Mohammad Nabi | 3 | 3 | 108 | 36.00 | 171.43 | 6 | 8 |
| 8 | Fakhar Zaman | 4 | 4 | 105 | 35.00 | 138.16 | 10 | 3 |
| 9 | Muhammad Wasem | 3 | 3 | 102 | 34.00 | 112.09 | 11 | 3 |
| 10 | Nizakat Khan | 3 | 3 | 94 | 47.00 | 120.51 | 6 | 3 |
After a string of cameos, opening batter Abhishek Sharma went a step ahead with a brilliant fifty to headline and ensure a smooth run chase for the Men in Blue. The left-handed batter scored a breathtaking 39-ball 74, which included six fours and five sixes.
He is now the leading run-scorer of the tournament, surpassing Sri Lanka's Pathum Nissanka. Sharma now has 173 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 208.43, and an average of 43.25.
Shubman Gill also overcame his indifferent start to the Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a solid knock of his own. He missed out on a well-deserved fifty, but his 28-ball 47 pushes his run tally to 82 runs in four matches.
Asia Cup 2025 most wickets
| 1 | Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 13.1 | 79 | 9 | 8.78 | 79 | 1 | - |
| 2 | Junaid Siddique | 3 | 9.0 | 54 | 9 | 6.33 | 57 | 2 | - |
| 3 | Mustafizur Rahman | 4 | 15.0 | 90 | 7 | 15.00 | 105 | - | - |
| 4 | Nuwan Thusara | 4 | 16.0 | 96 | 6 | 18.83 | 113 | 1 | - |
| 5 | Saim Ayub | 4 | 13.0 | 78 | 6 | 16.00 | 96 | - | - |
| 6 | Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 16.0 | 96 | 5 | 18.40 | 92 | - | - |
| 7 | Shivam Dube | 4 | 9.0 | 54 | 5 | 13.60 | 68 | - | - |
| 8 | Dushmantha Chameera | 4 | 16.0 | 96 | 5 | 25.60 | 128 | - | - |
| 9 | Shah Faisal | 3 | 12.0 | 72 | 5 | 20.40 | 102 | - | - |
| 10 | Taskin Ahmed | 3 | 12.0 | 72 | 5 | 21.80 | 109 | - | - |
Team India wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav is now the joint-highest wicket-taker of the Asia Cup 2025 after yet another decent spell in the first innings. His outing started off on a horrid note as he spilled a simple opportunity early on in the contest. Being introduced into the attack right after the powerplay, he bowled a tight first over to kickstart his spell, but was taken for two sixes by Saim Ayub in his next over.
He then came back strongly by beginning his second spell with Hussain Talat's wicket. His figures eventually read 1-31 off four overs. Yadav now has nine wickets in four matches at an average of 8.77, and an economy of 6.
Shivam Dube also makes it into the list of top 10 wicket-takers of the tournament with his game-changing spell in the middle overs. After his solid outing in the opening match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the all-rounder chipped in with an impactful spell yet again.
He finished with figures of 2-33, accounting for the wickets of Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub. Dube now has five wickets in four matches at an average of 13.60, and an economy of 7.55, to be the seventh leading wicket-taker of the Asia Cup 2025.
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Edited by Gokul Nair
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