Suryakumar snubs Pakistan again, says India-Pak matches no more a 'rivalry’

The words and gestures of India T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav towards Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have remained in the headlines for a while. From choosing against shaking hands with the Pakistani counterpart and his side to dedicating the September 14 victory over the arch-rivals to the Indian armed forces and remembering the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, the dashing batter has done it all.

On Sunday (September 21), Suryakumar came up with another observation that would not leave many on the other side of the border amused. After his side registered yet another decisive victory in the Super Four stage of the tournament in Dubai, the India captain urged people to stop calling contests between the two Asian cricketing giants a meaningful “rivalry”.

Also read: Asia Cup: India ease past Pakistan; no handshakes again

Sunday’s win was India’s fifth consecutive against Pakistan in International Cricket Council tournaments and 12th out of 15 games in the shortest format.

'Stop calling it a rivalry'

When a senior Pakistani journalist asked Suryakumar whether the gap in standards between the two sides has become too wide at the post-match media conference, the latter replied smilingly, “Sir, my request is that we should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry.”

The journalist then clarified that he was referring to “standards, not rivalry,” the Indian skipper cited the head-to-head results between India and Pakistan in T20s.

Also read: Azharuddin on India-Pak Asia Cup row: 'Nothing wrong with shaking hands'

“Sir, rivalry and standard are all the same. Now what is a rivalry? If two teams have played 15 matches and it’s 8-7, that’s a rivalry. Here it’s 13-1 (12-3) or something. There is no contest,” he said before walking out with a smile.

The candid views of Suryakumar, who felt India played better cricket than Pakistan between the seventh and 15th over, however, were not received well by Pakistani fans. Despite losing twice against the arch-rivals in a week, they spoke about the history of the rivalry, which sees Pakistan still holding an overall lead in head-to-head meetings across formats.

Also read: Why India keep winning against Pakistan, explains Rashid Latif

In Tests, Pakistan have a 12-9 lead in 59 matches with 38 ending in draws. In one-day internationals, Pakistan have a 73-58 edge in 136 encounters with five no results.

India dominate Pakistan once again

Going back to Sunday’s game, swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma continued with his good form by slamming 74 in just 39 balls to lay the foundation for India’s comfortable win.

Also read: Handshake row: Kapil Dev blasts Pakistan, says 'no need to make it a big issue'

His century-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill (47 off 28 balls) made it easy for the side to overhaul the target of 172 with six wickets and seven balls to spare. Captain Suryakumar, who played a winner’s knock in the previous game, fell for nought. Tilak Varma (30 not out) and Hardik Pandya (7 not out) completed the formalities.

Earlier, India’s seamer-all-rounder Shivam Dube took two wickets as Pakistan scored 171 for 5 in their allotted 20 overs. Opener Sahibzada Farhan scored 58 while Saim Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz made 21 each. Star India pacer Jasprit Bumrah had an off day as he conceded 45 runs in four over without any reward.

Also read: Handshake snub echoes Ind-Pak divide, but Gulf cricket squads show another reality

Sharma was adjudged the player of the match.

Earlier, Surykakumar won the toss and asked his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha, to bat first. The duo did not shake hands in this game as well. The players did not shake hands after the match either.