NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh have made winning starts to their Super Fours campaigns in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, but the race to the final is still wide open. Defending champions India extended their dominance over arch-rivals Pakistan with a six-wicket victory on Sunday, a week after beating them in the group stage. Bangladesh, meanwhile, handed Sri Lanka a four-wicket defeat on Saturday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The results leave India and Bangladesh leading the Super Four standings with two points each. India hold the edge with a superior net run rate of +0.689, while Bangladesh sit at +0.121. Pakistan and Sri Lanka are yet to open their accounts, but with four games left in this stage, both remain in contention for a spot in the summit clash.For Pakistan, the path is straightforward but steep: they must win their next two matches, first against Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then against Bangladesh on Thursday. Two victories would give Salman Agha’s men four points, potentially setting up a blockbuster third showdown with India in the final next Sunday.
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Should this scenario unfold, fans would witness three consecutive weeks of India-Pakistan clashes — an unprecedented streak in a long while.India’s latest win over Pakistan was set up by opener Abhishek Sharma, who blazed 74 off 39 balls, and Shubman Gill, who contributed 47 in a century stand. Despite a brief wobble in the middle order, Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya saw the team home with ease. Earlier, Shivam Dube’s double strike curtailed Pakistan’s promising start, exposing the frailties in their batting depth.Pakistan, however, showed flashes of fight. Sahibzada Farhan’s 58 and Saim Ayub’s return to form after three ducks were encouraging signs. Yet the bowling, led by Abrar Ahmed, has failed to contain stronger opponents.As Sri Lanka and Pakistan square off in a virtual do-or-die clash on Tuesday, the equation is simple: survival. For fans, though, the bigger dream lingers — a third straight India-Pakistan clash to decide the 2025 Asia Cup champions.
