Saturday, March 29, 2025
Asia Cup 2025: India Defeat Pakistan But Still Face Points Table Setback
India continued their impressive run in the Asia Cup 2025 by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan with a convincing seven-wicket win. Despite this dominant performance, Team India faced an unusual situation on the points table, where their net run rate (NRR) dropped. Pakistan, on the other hand, suffered a double blow—losing the match and also seeing their NRR decline.
Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan struggled against disciplined Indian bowling and managed to set a modest target of just 128 runs. Sahibzada Farhan (40) and Shaheen Afridi (33) were the only notable contributors with the bat. For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers, claiming three wickets. Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel provided strong support, taking two wickets each.
In reply, India chased down the target with ease in just 15.5 overs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 47 runs, while opener Abhishek Sharma chipped in with 31 runs. India wrapped up the chase with 25 balls and seven wickets to spare, securing their second consecutive victory in the tournament.
Despite beating Pakistan, India’s net run rate dipped from 10.48 to 4.79. The fall came because their margin of victory was smaller compared to their massive win against the UAE in the opening match. Nevertheless, India remain at the top of Group A with four points.
Group A Standings
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties | No Result | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4.793 |
| Pakistan | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.649 |
| Oman | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.65 |
| UAE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -10.483 |
In Group B, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka both have two points each after winning their opening matches. Afghanistan beat Hong Kong convincingly, while Sri Lanka registered a solid victory against Bangladesh.
Group B Standings
| Team | Matches | Wins | Losses | Ties | No Result | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Sri Lanka | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.595 |
| Bangladesh | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.65 |
| Hong Kong | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2.889 |
Sri Lanka will next face Hong Kong, and a win could put them ahead of Afghanistan in both points and net run rate, allowing them to claim the top spot in Group B.
