Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill lit up the contest against Pakistan with both his bat and his confidence during the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash at Dubai
on Sunday, September 21. In the third over of India’s chase, Gill went after Pakistan’s strike bowler Shaheen Afridi and followed it up with a fiery gesture.
Afridi delivered a length ball outside off, hoping to restrict the scoring. Gill, already in fine touch, advanced down the track and hammered the delivery through extra cover for a cracking boundary. Gill looked straight at Afridi and gestured with his hand, when the bowler walked back to his mark, pointing towards the direction where the ball had sped away.
Watch the video of the heated spat here
Pakistan had earlier posted 171 for 5 in their 20 overs. Opener Sahibzada Farhan played the anchor role with a composed 58 off 45 deliveries, while the rest of the batting order chipped in with useful cameos. For India, Shivam Dube was the standout bowler, claiming two key wickets. Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav supported with one wicket apiece, ensuring Pakistan did not get away with a bigger total.
Chasing 172, India got off to a flying start, racing to 69 inside the powerplay overs. Gill and Abhishek Sharma’s aggressive stroke play set the tone for the chase and did not let the Pakistan bowlers to settle in. With the asking rate always under control, India appeared to be cruising towards yet another victory against their arch-rivals.
This fixture carried added tension and hype after India’s convincing seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the group stage. In that encounter, Kuldeep Yadav had starred with three wickets, while skipper Suryakumar Yadav anchored the chase with an unbeaten 47. Since that clash on September 14, the build-up to the Super Four rematch has been intense, with fans and pundits eagerly waiting for another chapter in the rivalry.
