Cricket: Abhishek Sharma lifts lid about “personal attacks” from Pakistan bowlers during heated Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s clash
Sharma reveals on-field spat with Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
India got their Super 4s stage of the 2025 Asia Cup off to an excellent start on Sunday afternoon, confirming our cricket predictions by beating rivals Pakistan by six wickets and seven balls to spare at the Dubai International Stadium.
The atmosphere around the ground was tense even before a single ball was bowled, with both sets of players refusing to shake hands at the toss, and that tension only continued to ramp up as the match proceeded.
Abhishek Sharma led the team to victory with another incredible knock at the top of the order, scoring a blistering 74 runs off just 39 deliveries to give his side the perfect start to their chase alongside Shubman Gill after Pakistan posted a defendable target of 171/5.
Sharma made his intentions clear from the off by dispatching Shaheen Afridi for six off his very first ball of the innings. The Pakistani speedster was seen firing a few words at the Indian batter, to which Gill, who is India’s Test captain, took exception.
A few overs later, Gill hammered a boundary off the bowling of Haris Rauf, who, in turn, got right into the face of Sharma, forcing the on-field umpires Gazi Shohel and Ahmad Shah Pakteen to intervene and separate the two players. Speaking about the matter after the match, Sharma said:
“I felt today was the day to bring out such a performance. Personally, I didn't like how they were making personal attacks after every ball. I felt it was important to give an answer to them. This is not how you play cricket. Shubman and I just had a chat that we will give an answer after winning the match.”
With that victory, India took top spot in the Super 4s table with two points and a net run rate of 0.689. Bangladesh are currently in second only on net run rate (0.121), while Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in third and fourth place, respectively.
Sharma smashes long-standing India-Pakistan record
Sharma’s excellent knock against Pakistan on Sunday was not only a joy to watch but also led to the 25-year-old smashing several individual records while also contributing to a handful of team ones.
The left-handed opener was dismissed for 74 runs off just 39 balls, but it took him only 24 deliveries to bring up his half-century, surpassing Yuvraj Singh’s 29-ball record for the fastest 50 against Pakistan, which was set back in 2012 in Ahmedabad.
Next, Sharma launched five deliveries over the ropes in his innings, taking his tally to 34 in 2025, two more than Rohit Sharma, who previously held the record. India recorded 15 sixes in the match, which now also stands as the most in T20Is between these nations.
In terms of team records, this win marks India’s highest successful run chase in Dubai as well as in the Asia Cup T20, surpassing their previous best of 148, while Sharma and Gill’s partnership of 105 is just the second ton-plus partnership for the Men in Blue against the Shaheens.
