India vs Pakistan: The Suryakumar Yadav Show Redefines the Rivalry

After India’s decisive six-wicket victory in Dubai, marking their seventh consecutive win over Pakistan in completed white-ball matches, Suryakumar highlighted the recent tilt in results favoring India.

“I think we should not keep questioning the [India-Pakistan] rivalry or how well a team plays,” Suryakumar remarked. “To me, if two teams engage in 15-20 matches and the score is tied at 7-all or one is slightly ahead, that’s what constitutes a good rivalry. Scorelines like 13-0 or 10-1, to me, don’t represent a rivalry anymore.”

Suryakumar mentioned something similar in the pre-match press conference. When asked about the rivalry, he emphasized how it is more evident in packed stadiums than in the game itself: “When it comes to rivalry, I’m unsure what kind you are referring to. Once on the field, the crowd fills the stadium. That’s when I tell my team—we are here to entertain,” he mentioned.

Discussing the Super Four match, Suryakumar was clear on India’s strengths. “In my opinion, we outplayed them between the 7th and 15th overs and were also superior from a bowling standpoint,” he asserted.

“I think since we last played on the 14th [September], the pitch has improved. Today, it was slightly better for batting and had a harder surface. A team that excels in the 7-15 over range will always have an advantage.”

However, the day was not flawless for India. They dropped four catches, all in the same area of the field. The last instance of such an occurrence in a T20I was also against Pakistan at the MCG during the 2022 T20 World Cup. Suryakumar noted that the Ring of Fire floodlights in Dubai couldn’t be a justification, as India has frequently played and practiced there.

“I think the fielding coach has already mailed an invite to those whose hands were a bit slippery to discuss it tomorrow or the day after,” Suryakumar jokingly commented, adding, “It’s all part of the game, and I’m okay with it. It’s actually good it happened during the first game because there are more critical matches coming up. It’s fine, it’s part of the game. It happens.”

“We’ve had a few practice sessions here. We did extensive fielding practice. It can’t be an excuse. If a catch is dropped, it’s dropped. We’ll review and go back to practice and prepare for the next game.”

India chose to bowl first in the Super 4 encounter. While conditions have remained consistent over both innings in Dubai during this Asia Cup, the Indian captain believed batting would be slightly easier in the second innings.

“In my view, choosing to bowl first was based on the expectation that the pitch would maintain its condition throughout the 40 overs. And it did. There wasn’t much alteration. The pitch tends to play better under lights.”