India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025 Super Four Highlights: ‘Are umpire se toh mil le’- Gautam Gambhir’s remark to Team India players reignites handshake debate

IND vs PAK Highlights: The India-Pakistan handshake controversy took another twist on Sunday, refusing to fade even a week after the Dubai incident. This time, it wasn’t the players or an ICC official in the spotlight, but India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir. Following India’s Super Four win over Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium, Gambhir made a surprising call, instructing Suryakumar Yadav and his teammates to greet only the umpires after the match, deliberately excluding Pakistan.

Gautam Gambhir, positioned near the boundary line, was seen on camera telling his players, “Are umpire se to mil le” – a comment that perfectly captured the unusual post-match scene.

The scene echoed what had happened at the toss earlier in the evening. Captain Suryakumar Yadav again avoided shaking hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Agha, heading straight to commentator Ravi Shastri and the match referee instead. The gesture or deliberate avoidance of it, has now become one of the defining stories of this Asia Cup.

It’s not a rivalry any more, says Suryakumar Yadav

India captain Suryakumar Yadav grabbed the spotlight after leading his team to a dominant win over Salman Ali Agha’s Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash in Dubai on Sunday. In the post-match press conference, Suryakumar made his thoughts on the long-standing India-Pakistan rivalry very clear.

“To this question, I want to say one thing. I feel you all should stop asking questions about this India vs Pakistan rivalry,” Suryakumar said. “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.

What happened in the match

India chased down Pakistan’s 171-run target with ease, sealing a six-wicket victory in 18.5 overs at a brisk run rate of 9.23 in Asia Cup 2025 clash. The win was powered by Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 74 off 39 balls and Shubman Gill’s fluent 47 off 28, which set the foundation for the chase.

Pakistan posted 171/5; Farhan scored 58

Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 171/5 in their 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan anchored the innings with a gritty 58 (45b, 5×4, 3×6), while late cameos from Faheem Ashraf (20 off 8)* and Salman Agha (17 off 13)* pushed the total past 170. For India, Shivam Dube (2/33) and Kuldeep Yadav (1/31) were among the wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah had an off day, conceding 45 runs in his four overs.

Gill and Abhishek take charge in the chase

In reply, India’s openers came out firing. Gill’s boundaries and Abhishek’s fearless strokeplay rattled Pakistan’s bowlers, as the pair put on a century stand. Even though quick wickets in the middle overs — including skipper Suryakumar Yadav for a duck and Sanju Samson for 13 — slowed India briefly, Tilak Varma’s calm 30 off 19* and Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten 7 guided them home comfortably.

Pakistan’s bowling lacked penetration despite Haris Rauf’s tight spell (2/26) and a solitary strike from Faheem Ashraf (1/31). Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed went for over 10 an over, leaving India in command throughout the chase.

With this win, India once again underlined their dominance over Pakistan in white-ball cricket, combining solid top-order batting with effective partnerships to cruise past the target.

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