India’s spin-heavy strategy proved decisive for the second game running. Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav led the charge with figures of 3-18, while Axar Patel chipped in with 2-18. Varun Chakaravarthy had figures of 1-24, as the trio operated with remarkable control on a sluggish Dubai pitch to restrict Pakistan to 127/9.
Years later, when round one of India vs Pakistan at Asia Cup 2025 is discussed, it’s likely the no-handshake gesture and the simmering tension will be remembered first. But peel through the layers, and you will uncover India’s spin masterclass with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy that left Pakistan’s young batting line-up searching for answers.
At one point, 15 overs into their innings, it seemed as if Pakistan were simply picking through the wreckage. The moment that captured it all came in the 13th when Suryakumar Yadav placed a short midwicket, a silly mid-on, a short cover, a slip and a leg slip as Faheem Ashraf faced a hat-trick ball from Kuldeep Yadav.
In the end, Pakistan left with barely a little more than just a few consolatory blows from Shaheen Afridi, as they now walk into a potential must-win against UAE to ensure there will be round two against India next Sunday, a contest that will need them to soul search.
Pakistan only need to analyse the match scorecard and India’s robust approach as compared to their diffidence, especially after the powerplay. They didn’t challenge India’s spinners enough for them to think out of the box. From 42 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, they went into their shell, only to eventually collapse.
Between overs 5.3 to 11, Pakistan didn’t hit a single boundary while losing two wickets. ESPNcricinfo pegged their aggressive responses to just eight deliveries (24.24%) in this period. And it didn’t help that India were buzzing through their overs with spin before the dew got heavier, as evidenced by the ground staff trying to mop up the outer pockets at the halfway mark.
This was the phase where Axar Patel broke Pakistan’s back. He struck first by beating Fakhar Zaman in flight, tempting him into a big shot that he dragged to Tilak Varma at long-on. Two overs later, he landed the knockout blow of Salman Agha. Stuck on 3 off 11 and increasingly desperate to break free, Agha tried to slog sweep his way out of trouble but top-edged tamely to deep square leg. Those two strikes in quick succession drained the innings of any momentum and left Pakistan tottering at 49 for 4 at the halfway mark.
Suryakumar observed there was more to Axar’s success than just picking wickets. He pointed to a focused-training method that has made a difference. Axar’s damage happened to be the prelude to Kuldeep Yadav’s a few overs later. In the 13th over, Kuldeep Yadav struck off consecutive deliveries, one off a loopy legbreak that bounced extra, and another off a wrong’un to left-hand batter Mohammad Nawaz.
Kuldeep Yadav’s double-strike underlined how well India had managed their resources through the innings. Having burned through three of Bumrah’s overs inside the powerplay, a tactic Suryakumar has now employed in back-to-back games, India effectively left their spinners with a cushion and attacking fields to work with in the middle overs. And they couldn’t have done it better, with Kuldeep Yadav and Axar slamming the door shut.
Both Axar and Kuldeep Yadav slowed down their pace and well as the proceedings, bringing the Salman Agha-led side to a standstill. Axar removed Fakhar Zaman and followed it up with the wicket of Agha before Kuldeep Yadav ran through the middle-order. It was a combination of good bowling from Indian spinners and poor application and shot selection that led to Pakistan’s downfall. They scrapped their way to 127/9, thanks to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s heroics in the death.
Following the match,After winning another Player of the Match award for India, expert spinner Kuldeep Yadav has credited Axar Patel, the all-rounder who was picked as the Impact Player of the match by the Indian management, and has praised the joint efforts from the Indian team.
Feels great to play after such a long gap- Kuldeep Yadav
Indian all-rounder Axar Patel was awarded the ‘Impact Player of the Match’ in the dressing room following India’s victory over Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup.
Axar excelled in both bowling and fielding, taking 2/18 in four overs and dismissing aggressive batsmen Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha in quick succession. His spin attack reduced Pakistan to 49/4 in 10 overs. Additionally, Axar took a fine catch to dismiss Hassan Nawaz, contributing to Pakistan’s restriction to 127/9. India then chased the target comfortably with 25 balls and seven wickets remaining.
From rattling their middle-order batter to restricting the Pakistan team to a score of less than 130 runs, Indian bowlers went gaga at the Dubai International Stadium. The Indian batters then dominated with the bat and won the match comfortably with 7 wickets remaining. In the first Asia Cup match, Kuldeep Yadav was the player of the match for his stunning bowling spell. However, Shivam Dube was picked as the impact player, and the same has been repeated this time around as well.
Kuldeep Yadav has once again been picked as the POTM, but Indian all-rounder Axar Patel has been coined as the Impact Player in the Indian dressing room. He was also tagged as the ‘silent killer’ during the medal presentation ceremony.
After Axar Patel was picked as the Impact Player within the Indian dressing room, he was seen involved in a chat with the Player of the Match, Kuldeep Yadav, where they discussed several key factors that led to their dominance over their opposition.
“You have won back-to-back Man of the Match awards. How do you feel after getting to play after such a long time?” questioned Axar Patel.
Kuldeep expressed satisfaction with his performance, attributing his success to two months of fitness, training, and bowling practice during the five-Test tour to England.
“It feels great to play again after such a long gap. Maybe the hardwork that I did for the two months in England—I am reaping the fruits of it. I trained hard and ticked all the boxes, as I knew I would get an opportunity to play in the Asia Cup, as the UAE conditions seemed favourable,” said Kuldeep Yadav in turn.
He noted the importance of staying in rhythm and executing well, thanking his Delhi Capitals skipper for advising him to give more revs and spin to the ball, which helped him take three wickets. Kuldeep Yadav acknowledged Axar’s great control and ability to dismiss set batters.
“There are small things, while I was bowling, you told me to give the revs on the ball, the ball is gripping and spinning. I got this in mind. I had delivered just one over and decided to give the ball some spin and get some bounce. Because of that, I got three wickets, you got two, a total of five.
Credit goes to you, you bowled really well. Perhaps you had bowled before and knew the conditions well. You had great control and got two wickets of set batters in the middle-order,” he added.
With 2 wins in 2 matches , India is all but into the Super 4s stage of the Asia Cup. UAE beating Oman by 42 runs confirmed it officially as Suryakumar Yadav and his men could use their match vs Oman on the 19th as a practice game before the big Super 4s ahead.
Kuldeep Yadav was rewarded Player of the Match for his match winning performances and Kuldeep Yadav doesn’t complain, doesn’t throw tantrums, but whenever he gets the ball, he delivers. Against the UAE and Pakistan , it may have looked routine, yet every wicket, every subtle drift, was a quiet statement.
India’s spinner has waited, observed, and refined, letting the ball do the talking. Nights like these-when he crafts a spectacle out of spin, cunning, and control-are no longer rare. They are Kuldeep Yadav nights, nights when every batsman feels he is ready to pounce.
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