India strengthened their dominance over Pakistan in emphatic fashion at the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash in Dubai. They registered a six-wicket win that further widened the gulf between the two sides. Chasing 172, the Indian openers provided a blistering start. Abhishek Sharma smashed 74 off just 39 balls and Shubman Gill added 47 from 28 deliveries. Their stand set up a record opening partnership that left Pakistan’s bowlers under pressure and ensured the target was never out of reach. By the time India crossed the line with seven balls to spare, India had already settled the contest well before the final runs, such was the authority of the chase.
After the game, captain Suryakumar Yadav addressed the long-standing narrative surrounding fixtures between India and Pakistan. His words carried an edge that quickly became the focal point of the evening. The Indian captain remarked that the term “rivalry” was no longer accurate, given how one-sided the results had become in recent years. Stressing the point further, he urged reporters to stop asking questions about an India–Pakistan rivalry, noting that such a description only makes sense when the head-to-head record remains balanced. His tone left little doubt that he felt the contest had lost its balance, and he emphasised that India had outplayed Pakistan with bat and ball.
The comments, blunt and direct, immediately triggered debate because they challenged the idea that for decades defined matches between the two nations. Suryakumar explained his reasoning by laying out what he believed defined a genuine rivalry: two teams playing a series of matches where the results remain close to even, something like 7–7 or 8–7 across fifteen or twenty contests. In contrast, he pointed to the current pattern, with India having beaten Pakistan in seven consecutive men’s internationals since their last defeat at the 2022 Asia Cup in the same city, and remarked that a lopsided run of 13–0 or 10–1, regardless of the exact figures, could not possibly be labelled as a rivalry.
“I would like to say one thing on this question. I feel that you should stop asking this question about the rivalry. According to me, if two teams play 15–20 matches and if 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.”
By drawing such a clear distinction, Suryakumar reinforced India’s dominance and hinted at a shifting perception, one in which the emotional weight once attached to these matches may no longer rest on equal footing. His assertion that India had played better cricket than Pakistan on the day sounded straightforward, yet it doubled as a broader statement about the widening gap between the two teams. While supporters on both sides will continue to inject emotion into future encounters, the captain’s assessment has already added a new angle to the discussion. It has ensured that supporters will remember this latest chapter as much for his candid words as for the commanding win itself.
