Asia Cup: Abhishek Sharma stars with 74 as India clinch six-wicket win over Pakistan

Dubai, Sep 22 (IANS) Abhishek Sharma smashed a scintillating 74 off 39 balls as India clinched a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in a Super Fours clash of the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium here on Sunday. The result also marked India’s highest successful chase against Pakistan in T20Is, as the world champions maintained their unbeaten run in the competition.

India’s pursuit of 172 began with intent as Abhishek hooked the very first ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi for six, setting the tone for a dominant chase. Alongside Shubman Gill, who hit a brisk 47 off 28 deliveries, the duo stitched a match-defining 105-run opening stand that left Pakistan searching for answers.

Despite a brief lull, Tilak Varma ensured a smooth finish to the chase with an unbeaten 30 off 19 balls, as India reached home with seven balls to spare. Both Varma and Pandya quietly walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan side and entered the Indian dressing room full of jubilation.

Previously, Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 58, while Faheem Ashraf added late impetus with an unbeaten 20 off eight balls, as Pakistan posted 171/5 in their 20 overs. Farhan’s half-century was the backbone of Pakistan’s innings, marked by his clever use of the crease and calculated footwork.

The opener regularly manufactured shots and disrupted India’s lengths, especially during the powerplay, when he took the attack to an off-colour Jasprit Bumrah, who conceded 34 runs in his first three overs.

Pakistan looked set to get a much bigger total after racing to 91/1 in the first 10 overs, with Farhan sharing a 72-run stand with Saim Ayub for the second wicket. But Pakistan lost momentum once seam-bowling all-rounder Shivam Dube was introduced into the attack.

Dube, along with Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, applied the brakes effectively to stifle Pakistan’s scoring, as only 38 runs were made between overs 11 and 17.

Though Pakistan did recover some ground in the final three overs, yielding 42 runs, the total feels underwhelming given their early dominance. While Dube took 2-33, Kuldeep and Hardik Pandya took a wicket each.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 171/5 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 58, Saim Ayub 21; Shivam Dube 2-33, Hardik Pandya 1-29) lost to India 174/4 in 18.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 74, Shubman Gill 47; Haris Rauf 2-26, Faheem Ashraf 1-31) by six wickets

--IANS

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