Suryakumar Yadav Has a Nonchalant Response About Rivalry With Pakistan Ahead of Super 4 Game

Suryakumar Yadav maintains cool decorum around himself ahead of high voltage Pakistan clash.

Suryakumar Yadav Has a Nonchalant Response About Rivalry With Pakistan Ahead of Super 4 Game

Mohammad Harris and Suryakumar Yadav (Image via NDTV Sports)

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The 2025 Asia Cup has been a story of not just cricket on the field but a lot of drama off it. It was smooth sailing before the India vs. Pakistan group stage game, but post that it has been one of the most chaotic stories in world cricket.

With the team threatening to boycott, calls for match officials to be suspended cancelling press conferences, Pakistan has been the team to follow for any off-field drama. As the tournament has progressed into the Super 4s stage, India and Pakistan find themselves once again in the mix of things as both teams taken on each other at the Dubai International Stadium for the second time this Asia Cup.

With the non-handshake fiasco that had taken place the last time both teams had played, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was once again in the firing line when it came to him attending the pre-match press conference prior to the Pakistan game. When asked about the rivalry between the two sides over the years and the intensity of the competition on the field, Yadav kept an unbothered face and with a smile answered the question.

I don’t know what rivalry you’re talking about. For me, once I step onto the ground and see it full, I just tell my players it’s time to entertain everyone. We just focus on playing a good brand of cricket. We’ve played three matches, and each one was as enjoyable as winning the second match.

Suryakumar Yadav said in the pre-match press conference

Suryakumar Yadav’s words make it clear that India has its focus aligned on just playing the game of cricket and doing well on the big stage. The last time both teams met, it ended up being a very one sided contest with India showing that they are the superpowers when it comes to the skills required in T20 cricket.

Restricting Pakistan to just 127 for the loss of 9 wickets made India’s job with the bat much easier. With fireworks from Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma and Yadav, India quite comfortably chased down Pakistan’s total in less than 16 overs with 7 wickets to spare.

Suryakumar Yadav gives everyone the perfect mantra to block the outside noise

The moment when Suryakumar Yadav and his team decided that they wouldn’t shake hands with the Pakistani players post the match, they would have known the extent of the social media attraction that would come their way.

The entire Asia Cup hit turbulence post that, with Pakistan demanding the suspension of match referee Andy Pycroft. However, with that not happening eventually, they had almost boycotted their match against UAE before sense prevailed, and they reached the ground an hour late.

Suryakumar Yadav gives a good mantra to fans for cutting outside noise.
Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav (Image via Hindustan Times)

With so many events taking place left, right and center of this event, it was going to be hard to cut out the outside noise for any Indian cricketer. When Yadav was asked about this in the press conference prior to round 2 against Pakistan, he gave all his fans a simple mantra to block it out.

Close your room, switch off your phone and sleep. Of course, it’s not always possible. You meet a lot of friends, you go out to dinner. You have other players also around who like to see all these things. So it’s very difficult, but then it’s on you. What you want to listen to, what you want to have in your mind.

Suryakumar Yadav said

Yadav laughed as he responded but then was serious when he said that one can decide what they want to consume from the social media around them. It is no secret that there will be a lot of chat around all that has taken place in the last one week until the match starts.

Fans would also be looking at the game with excitement to see whether the teams would shake hands this time around or not. The heat will build up in Dubai as the events of the previous week have disturbed the pride of a lot of players. One can expect a much fiercer contest this time around as both teams look to get one step closer to that all-important final on coming Sunday.

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