With India having bulldozed the United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the Asia Cup 2025, the focus has shifted to the highly-anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 in Dubai.
The Men in Blue made short work of the hosts last night, winning the opener by nine wickets. India won the toss and elected to field. They dismissed the UAE for just 57 runs, with spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4/7) and Shivam Dube (3/4) running through the batting order. In response, India chased down the target in just 4.3 overs.
#WATCH | Asia Cup 2025 | Dubai, UAE: On India's match against Pakistan, Indian Captain Suryakumar Yadav says, "Aggression is always there on the field when we take the field, and without aggression I don't think you can play the sport, and I'm sure I'm very excited to take the… https://t.co/iZ42o8SU7s pic.twitter.com/fdsHOfyU90
— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2025
The Suryakumar Yadav-led team will be hoping to take the momentum into the Sunday’s marquee clash. Interestingly, tickets for the game were still available yesterday. The match will be played amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in April this year, in which 26 people died, and India’s response in the form of Operation Sindoor, leading to an armed conflict between the two countries.
In this backdrop, four law students filed a plea in the Supreme Court, saying that scheduling the game after the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor sent a message “inconsistent with national dignity and public sentiment", and pressed the matter for immediate listing.
A bench of Justices J.K. Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi, however, refused to entertain the petition. “What is the urgency? It’s a match, let it be. Match is this Sunday, what can be done?" the bench observed. The lawyer argued that the petition would become “infructuous” if not heard before Friday. “Let it be. Match should go on," the bench replied.
The students' plea said that cricket cannot be placed above national interest, citizen safety, or the sacrifices of the soldiers. They argued that continuing with the scheduled match is “detrimental to the security, integrity, and morale of the nation”, and can “hurt the sentiments of the families of the victims who lost their lives at the hands of the Pakistani terrorist”.
