Former India wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has added his voice to the growing belief that the India-Pakistan cricket contests no longer qualify as a true rivalry. Following India’s six-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash, Dasgupta emphasized the massive difference in quality between the two sides and declared that the famed rivalry has lost its edge.
Outplayed Pak
India once again outplayed Pakistan in Colombo, with Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube leading the run chase. Reflecting on the outcome, Dasgupta dismissed the notion of India-Pakistan matches carrying the same weight as in the past, suggesting that India now finds stronger competition in other nations.
“What rivalry? I agree completely that the India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is no longer what it was. Other rivalries like India-Australia, India-England, India-New Zealand still exist, but India-Pakistan is not at that level anymore,” he stated on his YouTube channel.
Suryakumar Yadav’s Earlier Dig at “Rivalry”
Prior to Dasgupta’s comments, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav had also urged everyone to stop referring to India versus Pakistan encounters as meaningful rivalries. He made the remark after India’s convincing six-wicket triumph, where the gulf between the teams was once again evident. India and Pakistan have clashed 15 times in T20 Internationals, but the balance is heavily tilted in India’s favor, with the reigning world champions winning 12 of those meetings. The Super Four result in Asia Cup 2025 only reinforced this pattern.
During the post-match press conference, a Pakistani journalist questioned Suryakumar about the widening gap in standards between the two teams. The Indian captain responded with a grin, saying, “Sir, my request is that we should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry.”
When the journalist clarified that he meant the difference in “standards” and not the rivalry itself, Suryakumar stood firm: “Sir, rivalry and standard are all the same. Now what is a rivalry? If two teams have played 15 matches and it’s 8-7, that’s a rivalry. Here it’s 13-1 (12-3) or something. There is no contest.”
The statement summed up India’s dominance, as Suryakumar concluded his media interaction with a smile. Pakistan defeated Sri lanka by 5 wickets to stay alive in the tournament. India will now face Bangladesh in their next Asia cup 2025 fixtures on September 24.