Asia Cup 2025: Live Blog – India vs Pakistan

Plenty of the crowd leaving. They know the game is done and dusted. Serious look on Salman Agha’s face as Pakistan stare down an embarrassing defeat. India came into this contest with the favourites tag around their neck and they have put up a shiny performance.

The left-hander was put down by Mohammad Nawaz in the previous over but he couldn’t ride his luck to finish off the game for India as Ayub flummoxes him with a cunning off-break. The sharp turn has the batter in a tizzy and the off-stump has taken a beating. The dismissal brings to an end a solid 56-run partnership between Tilak and Suryakumar.

At the 15th over mark in the Pakistan innings, the dot ball percentage read 56. India, in contrast, have rotated the strike way more efficiently to keep the scoreboard moving while their naturally flamboyant instincts allow them to convert the boundary ball with ease, like how Tilak Varma latched onto the tempter offered by Sufiyan Muqeem.

Scintillating strokeplay from the talented Tilak Varma has helped India capitalize on the last leg of the PowerPlay, with 13 runs coming off the Mohammad Nawaz over. There was unorthodoxy and convention in equal measure during that takedown by Tilak.

Abhishek Sharma resembled a rampaging bull until Ayub dragged his length back to elicit a false shot from the swashbuckling southpaw. He has done his job though; the early assault making shoulders drop in the Pakistani camp.

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill came out all guns blazing in India’s manageable chase. Shaheen Shah Afridi was lofted over cover beautifully with a straight bat while Gill cleared the infield against Saim Ayub to fetch four. The part-timer, however, produced a gem of a delivery to have the Indian vice-captain stumped.

Shaheen’s 16-ball 33 has injected some energy into this game when it was going all India’s way. Hardik Pandya was unable to finish things off well for the favourites, serving a slot ball and following it up with a rubbish full-toss as Shaheen helped himself to two maximums. Still the total is well under-par though as the pitch is expected to play better under lights.

In their last eight T20Is, India have bundled out their opponent five times and got their adversary nine down in the other three.

Jasprit Bumrah was driven down the ground crisply by Muqeem and the lower-order bat backed up the fine shot with a slash over point for another boundary. However, the seasoned pacer made a good comeback in the over and had the last laugh, castling the tail-ender off the final ball.

Kuldeep Yadav endures a crunchy slog-sweep while Varun Chakravarthy has been flayed over long-off as Shaheen Afridi breathes life into the Pakistan innings. However, at the other end, a familiar tale unfolds. Faheem Ashraf is undone by a fast and full variation from Chakravarthy.

He waged a lone war against an adept Indian bowling attack but Kuldeep Yadav outsmarts him at a crucial juncture. A well-set batter going into the death can be a tricky customer to deal with. He kept the ball away from his swinging arc and reaps the reward as Farhan reaches out for the slog only to toe-end it to Hardik at long-on. Electric in the field as always is the Indian all-rounder!

India are running away with the game courtesy their proficient spin attack. Kuldeep Yadav dropped a tough return chance to let off Hasan Nawaz but he perished on the very next delivery due to an ambitious slog-sweep.

Googly turning in from off, traps Mohammad Nawaz in front of the sticks. Pakistan review; three reds and a golden duck for Nawaz. Kuldeep is on a hat-trick!

Smart captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav to sneak in an over from Abhishek Sharma as Pakistan recover from a double whammy. He even got away with a juicy full toss even though the well-set Farhan was on strike.

Farhan can’t afford to snooze though. He uses his feet versus Axar Patel and gets the desired result. Handsome six down the ground.

15 runs and two wickets in the last five overs. Pakistan batters are looking out of sorts against the quality Indian spinners, and the run-rate has fallen below 5. Salman Agha has succumbed to the dot-ball pressure, attempting an ill-fated slog sweep against Axar Patel.

Fakhar Zaman was fancying the lusty blow against the spinners. Stepped out to Kuldeep Yadav in the previous over and survived by a whisker. Attempts an encore off Axar Patel but luck eludes him on this occasion as Tilak Verma chimes in from long-on to settle underneath the skier. India have elite spinners in their ranks and they are already proving a handful for the Pakistani batters.

Brimming with confidence after picking up four wickets against UAE, Kuldeep has begun his quota on a promising note. Just two runs off his first and nearly a wicket – Fakhar Zaman’s loft landed short of Hardik Pandya at long-on – too. His four overs are of paramount importance for India given the wicket-taking ability of the left-arm wristspinner.

Second six from Farhan off Bumrah! He’s expressing himself. Angling into the body, short of length ball at 133kph, and he gets a good piece of it as he pulls over backward square leg.

The experienced pacer got the direction marginally wrong on that occasion, all Farhan had to do was help it along with the angle. Both the sixes have come of back-of-length deliveries as Pakistan close out the PowerPlay on a high.

Interestingly, in the five previous T20Is against Pakistan, the Indian spearhead had not conceded a single six.

Varun Chakravarthy can get on a roll pretty quickly if he finds his line and length. Fakhar Zaman is cognizant of that and makes it a point to apply pressure on the spinner. Advances and bludgeons a drive down the ground, back past the bowler’s outstretched left leg. He’s lucky it didn’t make contact with the shin.

Pakistan have been itching to show some verve and Farhan has taken matters into his own hands. Brute of a shot over long-on off Jasprit Bumrah. Stand and deliver! Great balance there as he slams a short of good-length ball into the stands with a clean swing. That will inspire confidence in the Pakistan camp.

Fakhar Zaman manages to keep the ball along the ground as Hardik Pandya digs it in short with two men catching on the leg side. Intelligent decision-making there from the southpaw.

Pakistan are slowly getting a move-on as a full-toss from Hardik is placed between mid-wicket and mid-on for another boundary. Something to cheer about for the fans clad in green!

Jasprit Bumrah stamps his authority over Mohammad Haris. It is not child’s play to scythe one of the world’s finest pace merchants across the line, and the Pakistan opener chances his arm at his own peril. Right off the cue end of the bat and the top edge is snaffled by an agile Hardik Pandya, who ran to his right from long leg and made a tricky catch look easy. India are over the moon as they get rid of both the openers early.

Hardik Pandya strikes with what was technically his first ball after delivering a wide to start proceedings. It was an innocuous good-length ball that left-hander Saim Ayub chipped to point. Bumrah is not a regular at point but he makes no mistake with the waist-high catch.