Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav ‘excited’ for blockbuster Pakistan clash

DUBAI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Wednesday expressed his excitement for the high-octane ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, scheduled to be played here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Former champions India started their Asia Cup 2025 with a record-shattering victory over United Arab Emirates (UAE) here.

After opting to field first, India’s bowling unit bowled out UAE for a meagre 57 in 13.1 overs, with left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav leading the charge with a four-wicket haul.

In response, India comfortably chased down the 58-run target for the loss of just one wicket and 93 balls to spare.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Yadav explained that he opted to bowl first to analyse how the pitch would react in the second innings before expressing his satisfaction with the team’s performance.

“Wanted to see how the wicket was playing. It was the same in the second innings. Clinical performance from the boys, we wanted good attitude and energy on the field and that's what we got,” Yadav stated.

The right-handed batter further shared that the players were aware of the conditions here, citing their recent visit for the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 before showering praise on Kuldeep.

“Recently lot of the boys were here for the Champions Trophy, the wicket looked good but it was on the slower side and the spinners have a role. Here it is very hot right now and Kuldeep did well, got good support from Hardik, Dube and Bumrah,” the Indian captain continued.

Yadav then went on to laud top-ranked T20I batter Abhishek Sharma for setting the ‘tone’ for chasing down the total in just 4.3 overs before sharing his anticipation for the blockbuster contest against Pakistan.

“He is currently the World number one batter for a reason, he sets the tone, irrespective of if we chase 200 or 50, unbelievable from him. Everyone is excited for the game against Pakistan.”