NEW DELHI: Abhishek Sharma smashed five sixes in a 39-ball 74 as India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup on Sunday. The long-standing handshake protocol between the archrivals was once again ignored, with no handshakes before or after the match. While India is the designated host of the eight-nation Asia Cup, the T20 tournament is being played in the United Arab Emirates because India and Pakistan do not play on each other’s home soil.India captain Suryakumar Yadav has previously stated that the team is aligned with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and government instructions that players would not shake hands with Pakistan cricketers.

Abhishek’s explosive half-century — which included a six off the very first ball — anchored India’s successful chase. Vice-captain Shubman Gill contributed 47 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson finished the innings as India reached 174-4 in 18.5 overs.Earlier, Pakistan posted 171-5 in their 20 overs. Opener Sahibzada Farhan led the charge with 58 off 45, but the innings lost momentum in the middle overs. Faheem Ashraf’s 20 not out helped Pakistan reach a par total, yet it quickly became clear that the score was insufficient against India’s aggressive batting.This was the second meeting between the two sides in this Asia Cup, with India having already beaten Pakistan in Group A by seven wickets a week earlier.Following India’s win, a comment from Rohit Sharma during the 2019 World Cup went viral. After being named Player of the Match, a Pakistani journalist asked Rohit what advice he would give to Pakistan’s batters, who, in his words, were going through a ‘crisis.’Rohit replied in his trademark humorous style:“Agar main Pakistan ka coach bana to main bataunga, abhi kya bataunga! (If I become the coach of Pakistan then surely I will tell you. What can I say now!),” he said.India will now take on Bangladesh in their next Super Four clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.