Dubai: After India’s comprehensive victory over Pakistan in the Asia Cup, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav urged fans and media to stop calling India-Pakistan contests a “rivalry,” highlighting the widening gap in standards between the two teams.
Speaking at a post-match media conference on Sunday, Suryakumar noted that India and Pakistan have met 15 times in T20Is, with India winning 12 of those encounters. When a senior Pakistani journalist asked if the gulf in quality had grown too wide, the Indian skipper quipped, “Sir, my request is that we should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry.” On clarification, he added with a smile, “Rivalry and standard are all the same. Now what is a rivalry? If two teams have played 15 matches and it’s 8-7, that’s a rivalry. Here it’s 12-3. There is no contest.”
Suryakumar praised India’s performance, pointing to the explosive opening stand of Abishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who put together 105 runs in just 9.5 overs. “I think we were better than them, both in batting and bowling,” he said, adding that the high catch-drop rate at the venue was simply “part and parcel of the game.”
The Indian skipper also lauded Sharma’s talent, noting that the 25-year-old left-hander “knows what is required of him, what bowlers are going to bowl. He is learning with every game.”
On the other hand, Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted his team fell short by 15-20 runs and stressed the need for consistency. “We have yet to play a perfect game in this event. After being 91 in 10 overs, we lost way, but still felt 171 was a challenging total,” Agha said. He also acknowledged the bowlers’ struggle to contain India’s openers and emphasized, “We need to play a perfect game, do well in all three departments. We look forward to playing Sri Lanka in the next game.”
In other Super Four action on Saturday, Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in Dubai. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will clash in the Asia Cup final on September 28 in Dubai.
