Abhishek Sharma illuminated the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday with a 74 of mere 39 balls, after an impressive spell of tight spin bowling, as India beat Pakistan by six wickets in the Super Fours leg of the 2025 Men's T20 Asia Cup.
The win was India's highest-ever successful chase against Pakistan in T20Is, also furthering the reigning world champions' unbeaten run in the tournament. Sahibzada Farhan was Pakistan's top performer with a calm 58, while Faheem Ashraf's unbeaten 20 from eight balls gave late impetus, taking them to 171/5 in their overs.
Pakistan. appeared set for a much larger total after storming to. 91/1 within 10 overs. Farhan, who scored 58, shared a platform of 72 for the second wicket with Saim Ayub. But the. innings came down heavily once Shivam Dube joined the fray.
Dube, ably supported by Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, nailed the screws, conceding just 38 between overs 11 and 17. While a late flourish yielded 42 from the last three overs, Pakistan's final total seemed to fall short of what they had threatened.
Pursuing 172, India made a dramatic start. Abhishek hit the very first delivery from Shaheen Shah Afridi over extra-cover for six, placing Pakistan under immediate pressure. With Shubman Gill, who took 28 balls to make a brisk 47, he formed an unassailable 105-run opening partnership that virtually sealed the game.
Tilak Varma then ensured smooth sailing, scoring an unbeaten 30 off 19 deliveries. India completed the chase in 18.5 overs with seven balls remaining. Interestingly, both Varma and Hardik Pandya walked off the field without greeting their rivals, making a beeline for an elated Indian dressing room.
India’s aggressive approach was evident early. Abhishek hooked Afridi’s short ball over fine leg, while Gill found his rhythm by sweeping and cutting Saim Ayub for consecutive boundaries before dispatching Afridi for two more fours.
A charged moment followed when Gill pointed towards Afridi at the conclusion of the third over, where he had hit him. Abhishek then attacked Abrar Ahmed shortly afterward, pulling and lofting for a four and six, before both openers contributed more boundaries off Haris Rauf. At the conclusion of the powerplay, India had charged to 69/0 – the highest total in this stage of the tournament to date.
Abhishek carried on the slaughter, pounding Abrar for two sixes – one of which was spilled by Farhan at long-off – and completing his fifty in 24 balls with an elegant cover drive off Ayub. But the momentum switched briefly after Gill, beset by cramps, was bowled by Ashraf and Suryakumar Yadav's departure to Rauf.
Abhishek attempted to push on with two boundaries off Ashraf and another six off Abrar but eventually steered a pull into the hand of the long-on fielder. With 49 still remaining from 46 balls, Varma and Sanju Samson steadied the pursuit before Samson was bowled by Rauf. From then onwards, Varma and Pandya led India home with measured, calculating shots.
Earlier, Farhan's 58 had formed the foundation of Pakistan's innings. Showing astute footwork and aggressive intent, he put the Indian bowlers on the backfoot in the powerplay, in particular, through an out-of-form Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded 34 runs from his opening three overs.
Farhan also had some fortune – he got dropped by Abhishek in the first over. Fakhar Zaman, who was promoted in the order, played well with a couple of boundaries off Bumrah but edged behind off Pandya in the third over. Saim Ayub, playing at number three, scored his first runs of the tournament with a pull off Pandya and was dropped by Kuldeep.
Farhan, on the other hand, peppered Bumrah with boundaries and slog-swept Chakaravarthy, and Pakistan reached 55/1 after six overs. He completed his half-century in 34 balls by hoisting Axar Patel over the long-on boundary. But once India's spinners tightened the noose, the runs dried up. Ayub was taken by Dube, Hussain Talat was bowled by Kuldeep, and Farhan miscued a big shot off Dube to extra cover.
Pakistan's lower order attempted to revive the innings. Salman Agha swept Kuldeep for six, and Mohammad Nawaz contributed rapid runs before getting run out by a telling direct hit from Kuldeep. Ashraf subsequently cleared the ropes against Bumrah and punished Pandya for a four and a six after being dropped by Gill, taking Pakistan over 170. Nevertheless, it was not enough to prevent India from securing a clinical victory.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 171/5 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 58, Saim Ayub 21; Shivam Dube 2-33, Hardik Pandya 1-29)
India 174/4 in 18.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 74, Shubman Gill 47; Haris Rauf 2-26, Faheem Ashraf 1-31)
Result: India won by six wickets
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