Steep fall in quality
The match was over as a contest much before Suryakumar Yadav launched left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem into the stands beyond wide long-on. The gulf in class was evident in every facet of the game. Gone are the days when raw talent used to suddenly emerge out of Pakistan and take the cricketing world by storm. For a nation that has produced the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar, their reliance on spin is a departure from their traditional strength. Shaheen Shah Afridi, the titular leader of the pace attack, is a shadow of his best self. That he was the only Pakistani pacer on show in Dubai on Sunday proves how steep has been their decline. It’s not as if the spinners Pakistan deployed come with any great pedigree. They fielded a spinner each of every variety, but without the requisite quality. Head coach Mike Hesson talked up left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz before the match as probably the best in the world – one wonders if it was a claim made, half in jest. Three wicket-less overs going for 27 settled the argument. The others – Abrar Ahmad, Saim Ayub and Muqeem – couldn’t be expected to make a major impact given the paltry total they were defending. Ayub, an off-spinner, bowled some good deliveries, displayed variations, and got all the three Indian wickets to fall, but was not as consistent as he and his team would have wanted. Abrar went at just four runs an over from his four overs, but the batsmen were under no obligation to go after him.
– Tushar Bhaduri
IND vs PAK Group A match highlights
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Pak paralysed by stage-fright
The decline in Pakistan cricket was evident on the first legitimate delivery of the match. After a wide to start with, Hardik Pandya’s next offering was an innocuous short-of-length delivery, curving away from the left-handed Saim Ayub. It was an inviting ball, ripe to be flayed through the off-side. But the batsman seemed so tentative that he could only prod it in the air for an easy catch to Jasprit Bumrah at backward point. On cue, visuals of Pakistani fans in the stands with hands on their heads. It seemed that they were almost paralysed with fear, and almost believed in the superiority of their opponents, thereby frazzling their brains. In the next over, came an ill-advised swipe by Mohammad Haris against none other than Jasprit Bumrah. Even batsmen of proven pedigree and track record think twice before taking such risks against the best pace bowler in contemporary cricket. All Haris managed was a top edge, which Pandya pouched just outside the 30-yard circle. The gulf in class was evident before the game, and the start almost put a stamp on it.
– Tushar Bhaduri
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Pak incompetent against spin
Pakistan batsmen were nothing but clueless against the Indian spin attack. It seemed they had never seen a ball deviate from the straight and had been brought up on flat-as-pancake surfaces. Even straight balls seemed to be potent weapons. Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy tied them up in knots. It seemed that rotating the strike was an alien concept for Pakistan batsmen. Their motto seemed to be block-block-slog, which was only partially successful. Their manner of dealing with spinners was not too dissimilar to UAE’s a few days ago, a severe indictment of their current state. Even the defensive shots rarely came from the middle of the bats. Most of the fielding was done by men stationed inside the circle. Pakistan’s struggles against spin even prompted Suryakumar Yadav to bring on Abhishek Sharma, the fourth tweaker on show. Such was the mental state of the batsmen that even full tosses weren’t taken full toll of, as the procession of wickets continued.
– Tushar Bhaduri
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CAKEWALK 👏#TeamIndia cruise past Pakistan, chasing 127 inside 16 overs 🤩
Watch #DPWorldAsiaCup2025, from Sept 9-28 on the Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/EncO07RSlD
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 14, 2025
Dot balls strangle Pak
The first innings was a yawn-fest. The Indian bowlers, pinpoint with accuracy and the Pakistani batters struggling with everything- timing, rhythm and shot selection. Suryakumar Yadav used his bowling options effectively. Starting with Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, he switched to the spin trio of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy. The Indian pace duo were right on the money with both striking in first two balls of their over. Sahibzada Farhan two sixes off Bumrah in his second and third over but that’s the only hitting they could do as Bumrah bowled with precision. The spin trio strangled Pakistan further as they bowled 18 dot balls in the next five overs with Axar taking wickets of Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha. Pakistan played 36 dot balls in the first ten overs scoring 49 runs for four wickets.
– Pritish Raj
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Abhi’s aerials neutralise Shaheen
With a paltry total to defend, Shaheen Shah Afridi didn’t hesitate to go on the attack from the word go. His go-to delivery in such situations is the toe-crushing yorker — which he had famously unleashed on Rohit Sharma at the same venue during the 2021 T20 World Cup. He tried to do the same against Abhishek Sharma, but the left-hander was prepared for it as he made a premeditated walk down the pitch and converted it into a full-toss and struck it straight past the pacer to get India’s chase going. Two more sixes off Afridi, one over covers off the second ball of the first over and another one over midwicket in the second over, threw Afridi off as India got the quickfire start they wanted.
– Venkata Krishna B
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