Former India cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar, believes that even when India are not at their best, their talent-stacked players somehow find a way to win showcasing the gap in levels with Pakistan. According to Sanjay Manjrekar, India’s victory once again reaffirmed their position as one of the most consistent and well-rounded sides in the Asia Cup, with world-class depth in both batting and bowling proving decisive in high-pressure encounters.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav downplayed the on-field rivalry with Pakistan after his side’s emphatic six-wicket victory in the Asia Cup Super 4 stage. Highlighting India’s dominance in head-to-head encounters, Suryakumar Yadav remarked that the contest can no longer be called a rivalry.
The Men in Blue have stamped their authority over Salman Ali Agha and Co. so far in both occasions at the Asia Cup with dominant performances. Pakistan appeared completely outclassed by Suryakumar Yadav’s team, struggling to match their intensity with either bat or ball and ending up on the losing side in both one-sided encounters.
India once again thumped Pakistan as the arch-rivals faced off in a high-voltage Super 4s clash at the 2025 Asia Cup. The Men In Blue registered a 6-wicket victory over Pakistan, which gave them their first victory at the Super 4s stage. India extended their dominance over Pakistan in T20Is, pushing their Asia Cup head-to-head record to 12-3, a clear reflection of the gulf in quality between the two sides.
India completed a comprehensive win over Pakistan by 6 wickets
During the match, India won the toss and elected to field first. After Pakistan lost Fakhar Zaman, a quickfire 72-run stand followed between Sahibzada Farhan (58 in 45 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Saim Ayub (21 in 17 balls, with a four and six) put Pakistan ahead.
Later, knocks from Mohammed Nawaz (21 in 19 balls, with a four and six) and Faheem Ashraf (20* in eight balls, with a four and two sixes) took Pakistan to 171/5 in 20 overs. Shivam Dube (2/33) was the pick of the bowlers for India, while Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya got one each.
During the run-chase of 172, Abhishek Sharma (74 in 39 balls, with six fours and five sixes) and Shubman Gill (47 in 28 balls, with eight fours) took Pakistan out of the game in the first ten overs. While Haris Rauf (2/26) tried to fight it out for Pakistan, Tilak Varma (30* in 19 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Hardik (7*) took India to a win with seven balls left. Abhishek secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his explosive knock.
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has praised the Men in Blue for their immense depth in talent, pointing out that even on an off day, India can comfortably outclass arch-rivals Pakistan.
Sanjay Manjrekar is in all praise of Suryakumar Yadav led India Team after they thrash Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025
Former Indian batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes India’s latest win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours was an indication of the gap between the sides. The Men in Blue were sloppy throughout the first innings with the ball and in their fielding, allowing Pakistan to post a formidable 171/5 in 20 overs.
Yet, the Indian openers, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, made light work of the target, racing to 105 in 10 overs. The other batters picked up the slack after the duo’s eventual dismissal, helping India complete a comfortable win by six wickets in the penultimate over. India’s victory came despite their talismanic pacer Jasprit Bumrah enduring a rare off-night with figures of 0/45 in four overs. Sanjay Manjrekar highlighted this in a video shared on Instagram.
“This is the thing with India-Pakistan matches. India weren’t at their best clearly. Just imagine Bumrah being India’s most expensive bowler. He had an off-day so India’s main bowler had a bad game. India dropped three catches so India were well below their best. And despite that, they won comfortably against Pakistan.”
Sanjay Manjrekar also emphasised the gulf between the two sides in terms of depth and quality. While Pakistan performed slightly better than in their earlier encounter, their batting lineup lacked consistency and reliable performers to post a defendable total.
“It again shows the big gap between India and Pakistan on sheer ability and skills. I was happy for Pakistan as they were slightly better, so there was some spark there. But you could see how the Indian bowlers still managed to pull things back. Why? Because there wasn’t depth of class in Pakistan’s batting.”
It was India’s seventh consecutive win over Pakistan across formats and a fourth straight in T20Is. Sanjay Manjrekar had high praise for Team India in the shortest format after their emphatic win over Pakistan. The Men in Blue have won 29 out of their last 32 T20Is, including the 2024 T20 World Cup. They have run the table thus far in the ongoing Asia Cup, winning all four of their game.
“In the end, with Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill and the way the Tilak Varma finished things off, it’s just a limitless supply of exceptional players. So India even in that match where they were not at their best still showed all of us as to how superior they are to Pakistan and what a formidable T20 team India has become,” said Sanjay Manjrekar
Team India will take on Bangladesh in their second Super Four clash in Dubai on Wednesday, September 24
Also Read: ENG vs IND : Shubman Gill Appointed Test Skipper For Red Ball