India openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill powered the team to a record 72-run powerplay against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup Super Four clash. The strong start set the tone, though Gill was dismissed for 29 off 19 balls shortly after the powerplay.
India openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill put on a stunning display during the powerplay against Bangladesh in the Super Four clash of the ongoing Asia Cup. After a cautious start in the initial three overs, both batsmen unleashed a relentless assault, completely dominating the bowling attack.ย
Their aggressive strokeplay helped India reach an imposing 72 runs in the powerplay, setting a new record for the highest powerplay total for the Men in Blue in T20 Asia Cup history. This explosive start laid a solid foundation for Indiaโs innings and put immense pressure on the Bangladesh bowlers right from the outset.
Meanwhile, soon after the powerplay, Shuban Gill departed for 29 runs off 19 balls. Rishad Hossain got the better of him after Gill tried to clear the ropes again.
India’s highest powerplay total in T20 Asia Cup
| Runs | Opponent and year |
| 72 | Bangladesh, 2025 |
| 69 | Pakistan, 2025 |
| 62 | Pakistan, 2022 |
| 61 | Pakistan, 2025 |
Abhishek keeps up with momentum
Despite losing Gill, Abhishek didnโt change his approach and kept up with the aggressive batting. He completed his half-century in 25 balls and helped India remain in the driverโs seat. Meanwhile, after Gill departed, the team management sent Shivam Dube at number three, which was an interesting call.ย
The decision was arguably taken to give Dube more game time in the middle. Also, since the all-rounder is an excellent batter of spin, his promotion made sense. However, Dube departed after scoring just two runs. After his dismissal, Suryakumar Yadav joined Abhishek in the middle.
However, soon after that, Abhishek departed, scoring 75 runs off 37 balls. Due to a miscommunication with Suryakumar, he was out short of his crease. The captain, in the meantime, failed to live up to the potential as well, scoring just five runs off 11 balls. With that, Indiaโs start turned into a nightmare in the middle overs. All eyes will now be on Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya.
Bangladesh (Playing XI): Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali (wk/c), Mohammad Saifuddin, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy