India recorded a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 and it saw them qualify for the Super 4 stage. It was a brilliant all-round performance from the Men in Blue as they dominated in both the batting and bowling departments. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side first restricted the opposition to a total of 127/9 in 20 overs and later went on to chase down the target in just 15.5 overs.
The spinners once again did the trick for India with Kuldeep Yadav being the star of the show. The left-arm spinner recorded figures of 3/18 and was assisted well by fellow turners Axar Patel (2/18) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/18). Both Jasprit Bumrah (2/28) and Hardik Pandya (1/34) also chipped in with wickets as the Men in Blue capped off an impressive bowling display. On the other hand, Suryakumar was the top performer with the bat as he played a valiant knock of 47. Both Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma played important cameos of 31 runs each as India chased down the 128-run target easily.
Following the match, former India cricketer Irfan Pathan made a massive claim and stated that even domestic teams like Mumbai and Punjab can defeat the current Pakistan side. He also claimed that there are multiple IPL teams that can beat the Men in Green.
“If you ask which of our domestic teams can beat Pakistan, I know for sure Mumbai can beat them. Punjab can beat them. Next, which IPL team can beat Pakistan? A lot of them," Pathan said while speaking on Sony Sports.
Nayar felt that the match was like a 'practice game' for India
Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was also a part of the conversation and stated that the match against Pakistan was more like a practice game for Suryakumar Yadav & Co. He also stated that the Men in Green never looked to be a threat throughout the match.
“We were thinking about how to build up the game. Pakistan came with spinners and didn’t have fast bowlers. Their bowling was different, but there was no actual difference. From the start to the end, after winning the toss and batting first to the chase, Pakistan weren’t in the competition at all. India were playing versus India and it was more of a practice match for the future," Nayar stated.
While India have already qualified for the Super 4 stage, Pakistan's fate now rests on their final group stage game against UAE. Whichever side wins the game will move on to the next stage, while the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament.