Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was full of praise for India’s aggressive batting display in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Abhishek Sharma, India’s opening batter, gave the team a rapid start against Pakistan as they made light work of a 128-run chase, securing a convincing 7-wicket win in Dubai.
Gavaskar Applauds India’s Aggressive New Approach
The veteran lauded both India’s spin bowling and their aggressive new approach in T20Is, highlighting that the strategy was consistently executed by all the batters. India maintained their attacking tempo throughout the innings and chased down the target with 25 balls to spare.
“It’s a fabulous win. Look at the margin of victory and the number of overs left — it was comprehensive. The way the spinners bowled, and then the confident chase, shows how well the team is performing. It really bodes well for the rest of the tournament,” Gavaskar commented.
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Despite losing the toss, Suryakumar Yadav was happy to bowl first. The pace duo of Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah tore through Pakistan’s top order, while Kuldeep Yadav produced yet another magical spell, picking up a 3-wicket haul to restrict Pakistan to a modest 127/9.
India’s aggressive batting line-up came out with intent, led by Abhishek Sharma, who took on Shaheen Afridi from the very first ball, smashing a four and a six off the opening two deliveries. With Sharma setting the tone, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma stitched together a key partnership to steer India to victory. Surya finished the chase in style with a maximum, and Gavaskar praised his gritty 47*(37) as a standout effort.
“Exactly! As a sportsperson, if you have a match on your birthday, all you want is to win. And that’s what Surya got: a victory and a top knock to go with it. Perfect birthday gift,” he said.
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India’s Batting Depth Gives Top Order the Freedom to Fire
Gavaskar further emphasized that India’s new batting template isn’t just a statement to Pakistan, it’s a message to the entire cricketing world. He also underlined how India’s batting depth supports this aggressive strategy.
“Absolutely. This was India sending a message not just to Pakistan, but to the entire cricketing world. This is the new template: attacking from the very first ball. When you have batting depth, someone like Axar Patel batting at 7 or 8 who can clear the ropes the top-order batters have the licence to play freely,” Gavaskar concluded.
