Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar said the opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill was the turning point of the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash. The 76-year-old noted that the partnership was so strong that India could even afford to lose Suryakumar Yadav for a duck.
The Men in Blue defeated Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday, September 21. After bowling first and restricting Pakistan to 171/5, India chased down the target in 18.5 overs, with Abhishek and Gill putting on a 105-run opening stand in just 9.5 overs.
In an India Today interaction, Gavaskar mentioned that India’s chase could have been challenging if they had lost early wickets. However, he acknowledged that the Abhishek-Gill partnership effectively took Pakistan out of the game. The former India captain said:
“India won the powerplay convincingly with the opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. They just took the game away from Pakistan. If Pakistan had got a wicket or two in the first six overs, it would have been tough going for India. I am not saying India wouldn’t have got there, but the ease with which they got…”
“They could afford to lose 2-3 wickets. They could afford to lose Suryakumar Yadav, their captain, for a duck and yet end up winning with more than an over to spare. It just tells you when you have depth in batting as you have. And that’s thanks to the all-rounders – Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel. It gives the captain so many options both in batting and bowling,” the batting legend added.
“Players Are So Confident” – Sunil Gavaskar On India’s Dominant Display
Although Pakistan put up a fight with the bat in the first half of the Super 4 match, India ultimately proved far superior. The outcome once again underscored the gap between the two teams. Sunil Gavaskar observed that temperament, rather than talent, is the key differentiator between the Asian sides. The 76-year-old elaborated:
“It’s the temperament. Players are super confident. They have tremendous confidence in their ability to pull off the impossible. That is what helps any team to beat the odds. Despite dropping four catches, which could have cost them 20-30 runs, the way they came back after the half time and bowled those overs… At half time, they [Pakistan] were 91-1 and could have scored another 120 runs.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.