Following India’s dominant six-wicket win, captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed the idea of a rivalry with Pakistan. He backed up his strong statement with a statistical argument, citing India’s superior head-to-head record.
September 22, 2025: Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, has sparked a new controversy in the cricket world by saying that the long-standing rivalry with Pakistan “is not a rivalry anymore.” His harsh words came during a news conference following the match on Sunday, when India beat their biggest opponents by six wickets.
When asked about the stress of the important game, Suryakumar Yadav gave an honest answer. He told reporters, “I think you should stop asking this question about the rivalry.” He then backed up his assertion with a statistical explanation, saying that a real rivalry exists when the records of the two teams are even, like 7-7 or 8-7. “But 13-0, 10-1… I don’t know what the numbers are. But this isn’t a competition anymore. He went on to say, “I think we played better cricket than they did.”
The declaration comes at a sensitive time, after a different incident in a previous match when the Indian team, led by Suryakumar, refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players and officials in support of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. The captain praised his team’s performance, especially the bowlers for their comeback and the openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill for their decisive partnership. However, his comments about the rivalry have caused a lot of talk and are seen by many as a strong sign of India’s recent dominance.