How Did Kuldeep, Axar, and Suryakumar Lead India to Victory Over Pakistan?

Dubai, Sep 14 (NationPress) Suryakumar Yadav marked his 35th birthday in style, scoring an unbeaten 47 off 37 balls, leading India to a commanding seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in a high-profile Group A encounter of the 2025 Men's T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

India's spin-dominated strategy proved pivotal for the second consecutive match. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav spearheaded the attack with impressive figures of 3-18, while Axar Patel contributed with 2-18. Varun Chakaravarthy added 1-24, as the trio showcased exceptional control on a slow Dubai pitch, limiting Pakistan to 127/9.

The sluggish conditions in Dubai further aided India's spinners, whose precision and variations left Pakistan struggling for rhythm throughout their innings. While Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 40, a late surge from Shaheen Shah Afridi, who scored an unbeaten 16-ball 33, added some respectability to Pakistan’s total.

Chasing a target of 128 was a manageable task, and India achieved victory with 25 balls remaining. The reigning T20 World Cup champions demonstrated their superiority over Pakistan in every facet of the game.

After the chase concluded, Suryakumar and Shivam Dube (10 not out) exited quickly, with players again forgoing handshakes amidst the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions between the two teams earlier this year.

India’s comfortable chase was bolstered by swift contributions from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, both scoring 31, marking India’s second straight win in the tournament, which also enhances their net run rate.

Abhishek brought India off to a flying start, sending Shaheen Shah Afridi over the umpire’s head for four and following it up with a clean six over long-off. Shubman Gill hit two exquisite fours off Saim Ayub before getting stumped for 10.

Abhishek continued his explosive innings, slashing Shaheen for a four behind point, then launching him for a six over mid-wicket. Ayub faced the brunt of Abhishek's onslaught when he lofted and drove through extra cover for consecutive boundaries.

However, Ayub had the last laugh as Abhishek, unable to elevate the ball after dancing down the pitch, holed out to long-off for a swift 31 off 13 balls. Tilak reverse-swept and lofted Mohammad Nawaz for two stunning fours, as India ended the power-play at 61/2.

With Suryakumar appearing comfortable and hitting precise boundaries off spinners, Tilak continued the momentum by slog-sweeping Muqeem for a colossal 98m six and received a reprieve on 30 when Nawaz dropped the return catch after three attempts.

Tilak was finally out when Ayub got the ball to grip and turn, knocking over his off-stump. Suryakumar kept the momentum going by cutting and hammering Nawaz for two boundaries before sweeping Ayub for four, while Dube lofted the latter over long-on for six. Suryakumar sealed the chase in style by smashing Muqeem for six, concluding the match decisively.

Opting to bowl first, India began with a bang as Hardik Pandya had Ayub driving straight to point, resulting in the batter’s second consecutive golden duck. Jasprit Bumrah struck in his first over when Mohammad Haris attempted to heave, but miscued to deep backward square leg.

Fakhar Zaman, after surviving an lbw appeal off Bumrah, set the tone for rebuilding Pakistan’s innings by flicking Pandya for boundaries and drilling Chakaravarthy straight down the ground for another four. Meanwhile, Farhan lofted and pulled Bumrah for two sixes, as Pakistan ended the Power-play with 41/2.

However, the run flow tightened thereafter, and Zaman tried to break free but holed out to long-on off Axar, who later had a struggling Salman Agha top-edge a sweep to deep square leg. Kuldeep entered the wicket-takers’ list by having Hasan Nawaz miscue a slog-sweep and followed it up by trapping Nawaz lbw with a googly for a golden duck.

Farhan attempted to stabilize the innings, hitting Abhishek for six and then pulling Axar for four, while Faheem Ashraf slapped Kuldeep for a boundary. But Kuldeep struck again, enticing Farhan into a wide googly that was caught at long-on, followed by Chakaravarthy trapping Ashraf lbw.

A couple of sixes from Shaheen and Muqeem, hitting Bumrah for consecutive boundaries, took Pakistan past the 100-run mark. After Bumrah bowled Muqeem with a pinpoint yorker, Shaheen hit Pandya for back-to-back maximums, ensuring Pakistan crossed the 120-mark, which was always going to be inadequate against a formidable Indian batting lineup.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 127/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 40, Shaheen Shah Afridi 33 not out; Kuldeep Yadav 3-18, Axar Patel 2-18) lost to India 131/3 in 15.5 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 47 not out, Abhishek Sharma 31; Saim Ayub 3-22) by seven wickets