India captain Suryakumar Yadav made headlines after a commanding win over Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 match in Dubai on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after the game, Yadav left little doubt about his views on the historic India-Pakistan rivalry.
“To this question, I want to say one thing. I feel you all should stop asking questions about this India vs Pakistan rivalry,” Yadav said, holding nothing back in his response to a senior Pakistani journalist.
“According to me, if two teams are playing 15-20 matches and the scoreline is 7-7, or 8-7, then you can call it good cricket, you call it rivalry. If it’s 13-0, 10-1, I am not sure what the stat is. But, this is not a rivalry any more. I feel we played better cricket than them between 7-15, and we bowled better also,” he added.
Suryakumar Yadav says there's no rivalry between India and Pakistan anymore in terms of cricket. pic.twitter.com/EAB0gMJeGA
— Inside out (@INSIDDE_OUT) September 21, 2025
Yadav had already downplayed rivalry talks before the match, but after dominating Pakistan twice in eight days, his comments are likely to be remembered for years. Few captains have been so candid about how one-sided the contest has become.
India’s dominance over Pakistan
Over the last 15 years, India has clearly dominated Pakistan, winning 23 out of 31 encounters. Pakistan’s victories have mostly come on rare good days.
Despite this, Pakistan fans insist that the rivalry cannot be judged only by recent matches. Across formats, Pakistan still holds the overall edge. They have won 88 out of 210 international matches against India, while India have 78 wins.
In Tests, Pakistan lead with 12 victories from 59 matches, compared to India’s 9, with 38 ending in draws. In ODIs, India lead with 58 wins against Pakistan’s 43. T20Is, however, tell a different story: India have won 11 out of 15 games, while Pakistan have managed just 3 victories.
India’s white-ball cricket shines
India’s renewed approach in white-ball cricket is leaving Pakistan behind. Sunday’s Super 4 clash in Dubai highlighted the gap between the two sides. Despite some sloppy fielding and an uneven bowling effort, India chased 172 comfortably, marking a strong start to their Super 4 campaign.
Abhishek Sharma was the star with a 39-ball 74, supported by Shubman Gill’s fluent 47. Their 105-run opening partnership in just 49 deliveries broke Pakistan’s spirit early. Gill fell short of a half-century due to a cramp break, and Suryakumar Yadav also departed cheaply. But Abhishek’s power-hitting kept India ahead. He combined slog-sweeps with elegant lofted drives before getting out in the 13th over. Tilak Varma finished the chase with an unbeaten 30 off 19 balls as India cruised to victory in 18.5 overs.
Pakistan’s promising start fades
Pakistan had looked set after posting 171. Sahibzada Farhan scored a composed half-century, complete with a provocative celebration, anchoring their innings. Along with Saim Ayub, he put on a 72-run partnership off 48 balls, taking Pakistan to 91 for 1 at the halfway mark.
But the momentum slipped. Pakistan managed just 30 runs in the next six overs as Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav tightened the screws. Salman Ali Agha struggled to 17 off 13 balls, while Hussain Talat, filling in for Khushdil Shah, could only manage 10 off 11.