Asia Cup 2025: "I don’t know what rivalry…" Suryakumar Yadav on hype around India vs Pakistan clash

Suryakumar Yadav said that he just focuses on playing good cricket.

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav has downplayed the hype around India vs Pakistan matches and said that he doesn’t believe in any rivalry between both teams. The Indian skipper also added that the team focuses on playing good cricket and entertaining the fans.

India are set to clash with Pakistan in the Super Four round of Asia Cup 2025 on September 21 (Sunday). This will be the second time that two teams will be locking horns with each other in the ongoing tournament. Earlier, the Men in Blue defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage, where Suryakumar played a match-winning knock of an unbeaten 47 runs during the 128-run chase.

The encounter was marred by a controversy as Suryakumar did not shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha during the toss. After the victory, Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts as a protest in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor.

I don’t know what rivalry you guys are talking about: Suryakumar Yadav on India vs Pakistan clash

During the pre-match press conference of India vs Pakistan clash, Suryakumar said he doesn’t believe in the hype around India vs Pakistan rivalry and just tells his team to entertain fans with their performances.

“I don’t know what rivalry you guys are talking about. I just see the packed crowd and tell my team that it’s time to entertain them. If so many people show up, it’s our job to give them good cricket,” he said.

“We’ve played three games so far and won all three. Every win feels just as good as the last. For us, every game is a new challenge. We win, we learn, and we take those lessons into the next match,” he added.

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan qualified for Super Four round from group A. Winning three games in a row against the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman, the Men in Blue finished at the top spot in Group A points table with six points. Pakistan finished in the second spot with four points, winning their clashes against Oman and UAE.

Abhishek Sharma is the leading run-scorer for India with 99 runs, while Kuldeep Yadav is the leading wicket-taker with eight wickets. For Pakistan, Fakhar Zaman is the highest run-scorer with 90 runs, while Saim Ayub is the leading wicket-taker with six wickets.

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the other two teams that have qualified for the Super Four round. After the clash against Pakistan on September 21, India will lock horns with Bangladesh on September 24 and Sri Lanka on September 26.

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