Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav Questions India-Pakistan Rivalry After Second Win in a Week

India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the Super-4 match of the Asia Cup 2025, marking their second victory over Pakistan in the tournament. In the group stage clash earlier, India had won by seven wickets. Following this back-to-back success, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav made a surprising statement regarding the traditional rivalry between the two teams.

At the post-match press conference on September 21, when asked about the India-Pakistan rivalry, Yadav dismissed the notion entirely, saying the question should not even be asked, as “there is no such thing as a rivalry anymore” between the sides.

Yadav elaborated that a rivalry is meaningful only when two teams are closely matched. He explained, “Rivalry exists when teams are neck-and-neck, like winning eight out of fifteen or sixteen games each. In our case, there is a clear gap in wins and losses, so it doesn’t make sense to call it a rivalry.”

Looking at historical statistics, India and Pakistan have faced each other 21 times in the Asia Cup, with India winning 12 matches and Pakistan six; three matches ended in a tie or no result. In T20 Internationals, the two teams have met 15 times, with India claiming 11 victories, Pakistan three, and one match ending in a draw.

Yadav’s comments reflect India’s dominance in recent encounters and suggest that the traditional hype around the rivalry may no longer hold the same weight for the current Indian team.