India captain Suryakumar Yadav isn't fazed by the massive hype of the rivalry between India and Pakistan. Ahead of the Men in Blue's Super 4 clash against their arch-rivals, Suryakumar gave a clear take on the rivalry between the two teams and remarked that the players' job is to give the crowd a cricket match that is worth watching.
“I don’t know what rivalry you guys are talking about. I just see the packed crowd and tell my team that it’s time to entertain them. If so many people show up, it’s our job to give them good cricket. Aur jab stadium bhara hoa hai, main apne team ko bolta hu ki chalo bhailog, abhi entertainment ka time aa gaya hai. (And when the stadium is full, I tell my team and everyone that it's time for entertainment),” Suryakumar said at the pre-match press-conference.
“We’ve played three games so far and won all three. Every win feels just as good as the last. For us, every game is a new challenge. We win, we learn, and we take those lessons into the next match,” he added.
This statement comes after India had recently handed Pakistan a crushing defeat in a group stage match of Asia Cup 2025. The Men in Blue had defeated the Men in Green by 7 wickets in what was very much a one-sided affair. Kuldeep Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant bowling figures of 3/18 while Suryakumar also played a valiant knock of 47, guiding his side to the 128-run target.
India's dominant show so far
Team India are yet to lose a match in the ongoing Asia Cup. They first defeated UAE comprehensively by 9 wickets and then handed Pakistan a heavy deffeat as well. They then went on to defeat Oman by 21 runs in their final group stage fixture to not only qualify for the Super 4 stage, but also top Group A.
Pakistan's unconvincing performance
On the other hand, though Pakistan did defeat Oman and UAE in the group stage to qualify for Super 4, their defeat to India showed the multiple cracks present in their team. The side is especially struggling when it comes to the batting department with Saim Ayub going througha nightmare run of form. Notably, the left-hander is yet to score a run in the tournament and has gotten dismissed for ducks in all of Pakistan's matches so far.
India head into their opening clash of the Super 4 as the clear favourites. If Suryakumar & Co. can keep on playing the impressive brand of cricket that they are currently playing, then they can very well go on to not only beat Pakistan, but can also bring home the Asia Cup.