IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025: Abhishek Sharma propels India to a win; full match report and highlights

Abhishek Sharma smashed a quick-fire half century and shared a 100-run opening stand with vice captain Shubman Gill has India beat Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

India vs Pakistan: Match Highlights and Key Moments

With 172 runs to win, Abhishek Sharma opened his account with a six first ball and slammed 74 runs off just 39 balls, including six fours and five sixes. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, missed out on a half century but played well for his 47 runs off 28 balls, slamming eight boundaries.

Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 30 runs off 19 balls as India raced to the target with seven balls to spare. The two openers had made the job easy for the middle order, smashing 100 runs in just 8.4 overs.

However, there was a mini-collapse when the two openers and captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a duck.

Earlier, India pacer Shivam Dube grabbed two wickets, including that of Sahibzada Farhan, who had played brilliantly for his 58 runs off 45 balls, including five fours and three sixes. He had gotten into a partnership of 72 runs with Saim Ayub for the second wicket with Pakistan at scored 91/1 at the halfway mark of their innings.

Tensions spilled over between Sharma and Gill and Pakistan’s pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.

After Abhishek hammered Shaheen Afridi for two boundaries in the fourth over, Gill, at non-striker’s end, roared in with a retort, in response to something Afridi said at the start of that very over.

The confrontation didn’t end there. Haris Rauf, brought into the attack, also found himself in verbal exchange with Abhishek, who was visibly riled. Gill too joined the fray, backing his opening partner as the umpires and fielders looked on trying to cool tempers.

As it was the case in the league match between the two teams, there was no handshake between Suryakumar and his Pakistan counterpart Salman Agha at the toss.

Player Performances and Man of the Match

Abhishek Sharma was given the Player of the Match award for his outstanding knock.

What This Result Means for the Asia Cup 2025 Tournament

In terms of the broader picture of the Asia Cup, India have now topped the Super 4s points table. There are two matches each for each team, with Pakistan vs Sri Lanka possibly becoming a virtual knockout clash.