Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav has urged everyone to stop calling contests against Pakistan a meaningful rivalry. His team has dominated the arch-foes, with the most recent demolition being a six-wicket triumph in a Super 4 match of the ongoing Asia Cup. This victory underscores India’s consistent superiority on the field.
India and Pakistan have faced each other 15 times in T20 Internationals. The reigning world champions have won 12 of those encounters. This lopsided record highlights the one-sided nature of their meetings.
After the comprehensive win on Sunday night, a senior Pakistani journalist questioned the gulf between the two teams. Suryakumar responded with a smile and a straightforward request.
He said everyone should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry. The journalist clarified he was referring to standards, not the rivalry itself. Suryakumar insisted it hardly makes things any different.
He explained that rivalry and standard are all the same. A true rivalry exists when two teams are closely matched, like an 8-7 record. Here, it is 12-3, showing no contest. Suryakumar ended the media conference with a grin.
Opener Abhishek Sharma slammed a blazing 39-ball 74 to be the star of India’s chase. He did not like the needless belligerence of Pakistan players, which led to verbal altercations. Abhishek shared a 105-run opening stand with Shubman Gill.
He said the way Pakistan players came at them for no reason was unacceptable. This aggression motivated his explosive batting, which he described as giving medicine to them. Both openers had run-ins with Pakistan pacers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Abhishek was delighted to share a wonderful partnership with Gill. They have been playing together since school days and enjoy each other’s company. He really enjoyed how Gill was giving it back during the match.
He credited the team’s support for his aggressive intent. Abhishek practices really hard and, on his day, he is going to win it for his team. This mindset contributed to India’s successful chase of 172.
Ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah had an off-day, conceding over 10 runs an over. Skipper Suryakumar did not read too much into it. He noted that Bumrah is not a robot and will have a bad day sometimes.
Suryakumar highlighted how Shivam Dube bailed them out of the situation. He was happy to see the way the team fought back after a listless first 10 overs. Pakistan had made runs in excess of nine runs an over initially.
The boys showed a lot of character and stepped up in every game. This makes Suryakumar’s job very easy as captain. They remained calm after the first 10 overs of India’s bowling innings.
After drinks, Suryakumar told them the game starts now. This pep talk helped them refocus and dominate the remainder of the match. The team’s resilience was key to their comprehensive victory.