India extended their dominance over Pakistan in T20Is with a thumping seven-wicket win in the Asia Cup opener. This latest result stretches India’s head-to-head lead to 11-3 in T20 internationals. From the very first over, the match tilted in India’s favour, as Hardik Pandya struck with the first legal ball to remove Saim Ayub.
India 131 for 3 (Suryakumar 47*, Abhishek 31, Tilak 31, Ayub 3-35) beat Pakistan 127 for 9 (Farhan 40, Afridi 33*, Kuldeep 3-18, Axar 2-18, Bumrah 2-28) by seven wickets
India’s Bowlers Take Full Control
Pakistan struggled from the start. India’s superior bowling attack forced them into risky strokes just to keep the scoreboard moving. Out of 120 balls, 63 went unscored, and the scoring rate crossed a run a ball only in the final over. Pakistan’s total of 128 never looked enough against a power-packed Indian batting line-up.
- Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets,
- Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel grabbed two each,
- while Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakravarthy picked up one apiece.
It was a complete bowling performance with no let-up.
Hardik, Bumrah Strike Early — But Farhan Fights Back
Taking the new ball ahead of Bumrah, Hardik Pandya started with a loose delivery, but Ayub hit it straight to Bumrah at backward point. In the next over, Mohammad Haris tried to counterattack Bumrah but found only Hardik at long leg.
Still, Sahibzada Farhan managed a rare feat — hitting two sixes off Bumrah in T20Is. He became the first Pakistani to clear Bumrah for a six in an international match. Yet, at 42 for 2, Pakistan had only a fighting powerplay total.
Kuldeep and Axar Apply the Spin Choke
The spin trio of Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel shut down the scoring completely after the powerplay. Pakistan went 31 balls without a boundary, scoring just 12 runs for two wickets in that phase.
- Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha fell to desperation slogs.
- Kuldeep Yadav then bowled a perfect wrong’un to dismiss Mohammad Nawaz for a golden duck, almost grabbing a hat-trick.
Pakistan’s struggles were clear as their top scorer Farhan crawled to 40 off 43 before falling on the first ball of the death overs. Only Shaheen Shah Afridi provided a late spark, smashing a personal T20I best 33 off 16* to drag Pakistan to 128.
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill Crush the Chase
Any hopes of a Pakistan fightback ended quickly. Abhishek Sharma charged at Shaheen Afridi, striking four off the first ball and six off the second. Shubman Gill followed with back-to-back boundaries off Ayub. Despite losing both openers, India raced to 41 for 2 in 3.4 overs.
The middle overs were slower — just 39 runs in seven overs and Tilak Varma’s wicket — but the gulf in quality showed. Pakistan’s bowling lacked the bite to trouble India’s deep batting line-up.
Finally, Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube provided the finishing touches. Their steady partnership sealed the win with 4.1 overs to spare, underlining India’s control throughout the game.
Key Takeaways
- India leads Pakistan 11-3 in T20Is after this win.
- Kuldeep Yadav (3/23) and Axar Patel (2 wickets) were standout bowlers.
- Abhishek Sharma’s explosive start and Suryakumar Yadav’s composure finished the job.
- Pakistan struggled for momentum, going 31 balls without a boundary after the powerplay.
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