In the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash, Abhishek Sharma had a heated verbal spat with Pakistan pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, then smashed 74 off 39 balls, leading India’s chase and cementing his spot as the tournament’s top run-scorer.
Team India opener Abhishek Sharma was involved in a verbal altercation with the Pakistan pace bowling duo of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, September 21.
Chasing a 172-run target set by Pakistan, India’s openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill gave the Men in Blue a fiery start to their run chase, leaving the opponent bowlers struggling to contain the flow of runs. The opening pair resorted to an aggressive approach from the start of the run chase in order to put pressure on Pakistan’s pace attack and gain momentum early in the run chase.
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill took Pakistan’s bowling attack to the cleaners with their aggressive stroke play and smashing boundaries at will in the powerplay and middle overs.
Abhishek’s heated exchange with Afridi and Rauf
The clash between India and Pakistan turned fiery as Abhishek Sharma had a heated altercation with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf in the Men in Blue’s run chase. The left-handed opener had a verbal altercation with Afridi in the opening over of India’s batting.
On the first ball off Shaheen Afridi in the opening over, Abhishek Sharma smashed a six by lofting it towards the wide long-on, which was a clean maximum. Afridi seemingly stared at Abhishek after he was hit for a six on the first ball, and the Indian opener did not hold back to respond.
Abhishek said, ‘Jaa bs***k ball dal’ to Shaheen Afridi.
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Thereafter, Abhishek Sharma had a heated altercation with Haris Rauf. This incident took place on the final delivery of the fifth over when Shubman Gill hit a boundary off a Pakistan pacer. Rauf became aggressive and stared at Abhishek before the two escalated it into heated exchange, with the Indian opener not backing off from matching Rauf’s aggression with sharp words.
The umpire quickly intervened and separated the two to prevent the situation from getting worse, given the intensity of the clash between India and Pakistan.
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Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill frustrated the Pakistan bowling attack with their aggression and continued to dominate the powerplay by punishing the loose deliveries to keep India firmly on course in the chase. Sharma and Gill formed a 109–run partnership for the opening wicket before the India vice-captain was removed by Faheem Ashraf for 47.
Abhishek Sharma turns an explosive start into a big score
In the last three matches against the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman, Abhishek Sharma consistently scored 30+ scores with his explosive performances, but failed to convert them into a big fifty, raising questions about his ability to play longer innings rather than giving a fiery start to India’s batting.
However, Abhishek Sharma turned his game around not only by his explosive performance but also by capitalizing on his start and converting it into a substantial score, helping India maintain momentum in the crucial Super 4 clash. The left-handed opener raced to his first fifty of the Asia Cup 2025 in just 24 balls.
Thereafter, Abhishek carried on his innings and played a brilliant knock of 74 off 39 balls, including 6 fours and 5 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 189.74. His phenomenal performance has laid the foundation for an easy run chase for Team India in the high-stakes clash.
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Abhishek Sharma is currently the leading run-getter of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, amassing 173 runs, including a fifty, at an average of 43.25 and an impressive strike rate of 208.43 in four matches.