India dismantled Pakistan with ruthless clarity on Sunday, winning by seven wickets with 25 balls to spare and staying top of Group A. It was the kind of all-court performance that leaves a rival not just beaten, but exposed: incisive new-ball bowling, a strangling middle phase from the spinners, and a measured chase iced by captain Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 47 (37).
If Pakistan’s lone bursts of resistance came from Sahibzada Farhan (40 off 44) and a late cameo from Shaheen Afridi (33* off 16), everything else belonged to India. Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) put the squeeze on a flimsy middle order, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya ripped open the top, and the chase was launched by a blistering Abhishek Sharma (31 off 13).
India mowed down 128 in 15.5 overs: a win built on plan, patience and pressure.
Powerplay punch, middle-overs choke
Pakistan chose to bat and immediately fell into a trap India had set. Pandya dismissed Saim Ayub first ball; Bumrah hurried Mohammad Haris into a miscue. At 42 after the powerplay Pakistan still looked alive, but the spinners turned the screws. Axar Patel removed Fakhar Zaman (17) and the out-of-touch skipper Salman Agha (3), before Kuldeep’s left-arm wrist-spin applied the tourniquet: double-strike to fell Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Nawaz, then Farhan in the 17th. Pakistan limped to 127/9.
This was textbook India: quicks to bruise, spinners to suffocate, death overs to deny.
Captain cool finishes; Pakistan’s tactics unravel
Chasing, India tore into Shaheen straightaway; Abhishek belted a four and six in the first over, then peeled boundaries off part-timer Saim Ayub. Shubman Gill (10) fell stumped to a clever carrom ball, Abhishek holed out trying to keep the tempo, but there was no panic. Suryakumar and Tilak Varma (31 off 31) soaked up spin, stitched 56 for the third wicket, then shifted gears: SKY’s late flurry plus a Shivam Dube six ended it with a statement.
Pakistan’s selection and on-field choices begged questions. Over-reliance on Afridi, under-prepared middle order, and extended overs from part-time spin against India’s best players of slow bowling was asking for trouble. India obliged.
Why India declined the handshake
After the match, Suryakumar addressed the team’s decision to refuse a handshake with Pakistan:
“There are a few things in life ahead of sportsman spirit.”
He dedicated the victory to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and the armed forces:
“Perfect occasion, taking the time out, we stand by the families of the victims… We express our solidarity… Want to dedicate the win to all our armed forces who showed a lot of bravery.”
In a rivalry routinely framed as cricket alone, India’s stance was clear: some moments demand solidarity over ceremony.
Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate underlined head coach Gautam Gambhir’s directive to stay “emotionless” and control the controllables—precisely how India played. Kuldeep, named Player of the Match, said he came in with specific plans and executed them ball-by-ball. Suryakumar added a tactical nod to India’s identity:
“I’m always a fan of spinners because they control the game in the middle.”
What the result really says
- Method beats mayhem: India’s blueprint—discipline with the new ball, spin dominance, no-scoreboard-panic—travelled perfectly to Dubai’s conditions.
- Pakistani frailties persist: Since 2021, Fakhar’s vulnerability advancing to spin has been well-known; Pakistan still haven’t insulated against it.
- Chasing trend holds: In 8 of the last 9 India-Pakistan T20Is, the side batting second has won; India again read the conditions better.
This wasn’t an upset; it was a systems win. India arrived with clarity, composure and cause—and left with two points, an emphatic net run-rate boost, and a message: when cricket intersects with conscience, India will pick both the right line and the right line to take.
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