"Not a rivalry anymore" - Suryakumar Yadav's emphatic statement on India's dominance over Pakistan after win in Asia Cup 2025 clash

Team India skipper Suryakumar Yadav urged mediapersons to stop referring to India vs Pakistan cricket matches as a 'rivalry'. He opined that a rivalry exists between two teams who complete hard and pointed out that in the India-Pakistan contest only one team has had the upper hand for years.

The Men in Blue kicked off their Super 4 campaign in Asia Cup 2025 with a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, September 21. Bowling first after winning the toss, Team India held the opposition to 171-5 and then chased down the target in 18.5 overs.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Suryakumar emphatically hinted that the hype around India-Pakistan matches seems needless in the wake of the Men in Blue's continued dominance. Responding to a query on Pakistan, he said:

"Sir, I would want to say one thing on this question. I think you guys should stop asking questions on this rivalry. If two teams play 15-20 matches and if the head-to-head is 7-7 or 8-7, then that is good question and that is called rivalry. 13-0, 10-1; I don’t know what the stats are, but this is not a rivalry anymore. I feel we played better cricket than them."

Team India have won the last four matches played against Pakistan in the T20I format - two of their wins were registered in World Cups. Overall, India have a commanding 12-3 lead over Pakistan in T20Is.

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Suryakumar Yadav stresses on flexibility in the batting order after Asia Cup 2025 win over Pakistan

India have been experimenting on their batting order quite a bit in T20Is. In the previous match against Oman, Sanju Samson batted at No. 3 and scored a half-century. But, on Sunday against Pakistan, skipper Suryakumar himself walked into bat after the first wicket fell. Asked about the significance of flexibility in the batting department, he stated:

"I think, barring openers, up to No. 7 and No. 8, everyone needs to be flexible in batting. We have both left-handers and right-handers. There are power hitters and there are some players who can manage the game. It will all depend on the need of the hour. If someone has scored a 50 at No. 3 or No. 4 and if that batter has to go in at No. 6 in the next game, they have accepted this.

"In this format, if players can make their impact, even in small ways, we can be a very dangerous team," Suryakumar concluded.

India's next match in the Super 4 round of Asia Cup 2025 will be against Bangladesh on September 24. They will then face Sri Lanka on September 26.