He then struck again to remove Agha
India cruised to victory over Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup, winning by seven wickets.
The match was the first between the two nations since the Pahalgam attacks, making it different to past ties.
Going into the match, there were calls on social media to boycott it.
In parts of the stands, there were empty seats at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. Captain Salman Agha said:
“We have been playing really good cricket [of late]. We are excited about this encounter.
“It [the pitch] is a bit on the slower side. We want to bat first and put above-par runs [on the board], and then work on restricting them.
“We are going with the same side [as before]. When you come to UAE at this time of the year, you need a lot of spin. We have been here for 20-odd days now, so we are very used to these conditions. We are very confident.”
The match began with immediate fireworks as Hardik Pandya dismissed Saim Ayub for a duck.
Pakistan were quickly 6-2 when Jasprit Bumrah claimed the wicket of Mohammad Haris.
A brief recovery was staged by Fakhar Zaman and Salman Agha, who put together a partnership to steady the innings.
However, the introduction of spinner Axar Patel proved to be a game-changer for India.
Patel broke the budding partnership by dismissing Zaman for 17, who miscued a shot and was caught by Tilak Varma.
He then struck again to remove Agha, preventing him from reaching double digits.
Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around the Pakistani batters, finishing with three wickets. He dismissed Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, and Sahibzada Farhan, who top-scored with a gritty 40.
Just when it seemed Pakistan would fold for a score around 110, Shaheen Shah Afridi produced a stunning late onslaught.
He smashed two consecutive sixes off Hardik Pandya in the final over, finishing with a vital 33 not out from just 16 balls.
His aggressive knock, which included four sixes in total, provided a glimmer of hope for Pakistan, who ended their innings on 127-9.
In response, India’s chase began aggressively, with Abhishek Sharma playing a blistering knock of 31 off just 13 balls to set the tone.
Despite losing his opening partner Shubman Gill for 10, Sharma’s onslaught ensured India stayed well ahead of the required run rate.
After Sharma’s dismissal, captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma steadied the innings with a crucial partnership.
The part-time spin of Saim Ayub proved surprisingly effective for Pakistan, as he claimed all three Indian wickets to fall, including the dismissals of both openers and Tilak Varma.
However, the target was never daunting enough to put India under serious pressure.
Yadav got one in the slot and proceeded to hammer a massive blow over the deep midwicket rope to end the match in some style.
India’s seven-wicket win came with 25 balls to spare and after the match, there were no handshakes, clearly a sign that tensions between the two sides remained high.
The win marks India’s sixth straight win over their big rivals.
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