India’s Abhishek Sharma struck a blistering 74 to steer his side to a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in their Asia Cup Super Four clash on Sunday, as the long-standing rivals once again refused handshakes amid simmering tensions.
Chasing 172 in Dubai, India’s openers put on a 105-run stand, with Sharma and Shubman Gill, who made 47, racing to the target with seven balls to spare.
The match reignited frictions from their group-stage encounter, where India also spurned a handshake.
Tempers flared on the field when Gill and Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi exchanged steely glances after a boundary, and Abhishek later traded barbed words with Haris Rauf. “Today was pretty simple. I did not like the way they were coming at us,” Abhishek said after being named player of the match. “I wanted to deliver for the team.”
Pakistan had set a competitive 171-5, powered by Sahibzada Farhan’s 58 and Saim Ayub’s 21 in a 72-run second-wicket stand.
Farhan celebrated his fifty with a bat-turned-gun gesture, adding spice to the high-stakes match.
Despite strong starts from Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha, and Faheem Ashraf late in the innings, India’s Shivam Dube helped check Pakistan’s momentum with key wickets.
India’s reply saw early dominance, with Sharma and Gill tearing through the bowling attack to reach 101 without loss in just nine overs.
After Faheen Ashraf removed Gill and Rauf dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a duck, Sharma fell to Abrar Ahmed after a 35-ball assault featuring six fours and five sixes.
Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 30 off 19 balls guided India across the line, striking a six and a four in the final over.
Post-match, the Indian players quickly left the field, leaving Pakistan to shake hands among themselves.
Pakistan captain Agha noted, “We are yet to play a perfect game, but we are getting there. A great game, but they took the match away in the powerplay.”
The victory extended India’s Asia Cup T20 head-to-head dominance to 11-3 over Pakistan, prompting skipper Suryakumar Yadav to downplay the rivalry.
“If two teams play 15-20 matches and the record is 13-0 or 10-1, that is not a rivalry anymore,” he said. India now look ahead to their next Super Four clash against Bangladesh, determined to tighten fielding errors that saw four dropped catches against Pakistan.
