Sports
‘Not a rivalry anymore’, Indian captain Suryakumar says after outplaying Pakistan
DUBAI: India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav played down the hype around the cricket rivalry with Pakistan after beating their bitter rivals by six wickets in the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
India rode on a blazing 74 from opener Abhishek Sharma as they chased down a target of 172 in 18.5 overs in the Super Four clash, where they again refused to shake hands with their opponents.
It was India’s second win in the Twenty20 tournament over Pakistan in a week after their group stage clash.
It was also their 12th in 15 T20 internationals.
Asked if this dominance showed that the rivalry was waning, Suryakumar replied: “You guys should stop asking questions about the rivalry between India and Pakistan.
“According to me, if two teams play 15-20 matches, and if it is even, then it is a rivalry. 13-0, 10-1, I don´t know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore.”
Pakistan’s last of three T20 wins over India came in the Asia Cup in Dubai in 2022.
India and Pakistan only play in multinational tournaments as their bilateral ties have been stalled since 2012 over political tension.
Pakistan rode on a brilliant 45-ball 58 from opener Sahibzada Farhan but managed 171-5 after romping to 93-1 in 9.3 overs.
Suryakumar said that India played better cricket as Abishek and Shubman Gill put on a rapid 105 for the opening stand in 9.5 overs.
“I think we were better than them (Pakistan), and also from a bowling point of view,” said Suryakumar. “The catch drop percentage at this venue is so high, and that is part and parcel of the game.”
Suryakumar praised Sharma’s talent.
“He knows what is required of him, what bowlers are going to bowl, that’s a plus point for him. He is learning with every game,” said Suryakumar of the 25-year-old left-hander.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said that his team had come up 15-20 runs short.
“We have yet to play a perfect game in this event,” said Agha, whose team next faces Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
“After being 91 in 10 overs, we lost way but still feel 171 was a challenging total.”
Agha acknowledged that his bowlers could not control the Indian openers.
“We need to play a perfect game, do well in all three departments,” said Agha. “We look forward to playing Sri Lanka in the next game.”
Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets in their Super Four match in Dubai on Saturday.
Fakhar Zaman’s controversial dismissal
Agha also voiced his concerns over the controversial dismissal of opener Fakhar Zaman.
“I don’t know about the decision. As far as I am concerned, it looked like the ball bounced before being collected. Obviously, it’s the umpire’s job and they can make mistakes—I have no problem with that. But to me, it did look like it bounced,” Agha said.
“I might be wrong, I don’t know. The way Fakhar was batting, if he had continued through the powerplay, we could probably have scored around 190,” he added.
The incident took place on the third delivery of the third over of Pakistan’s innings. Fakhar Zaman attempted to drive at an off-cutter from Hardik Pandya, edging the ball towards wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.
The delivery, however, lost pace off the pitch, forcing Samson to dive forward to take the catch.
Given the proximity of the ball to the ground at the point of collection, the on-field umpires referred the decision to the third umpire. Fakhar, appearing confident that the ball had touched the turf, waited for the verdict.
After several replays from multiple angles, third umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge adjudged Fakhar out. The left-hander stood momentarily in disbelief before walking back to the pavilion.
On his return, he was seen discussing the decision with head coach Mike Hesson, seemingly surprised at the outcome.
The dismissal immediately ignited debate on social media, with fans and former players criticising the umpiring standards in the high-profile encounter.
The top two teams from Super Four will play the final in Dubai on September 28.
The second Sunday of the 2026 Winter Olympics is a busy one for fans of Team USA.
Mikaela Shiffrin skis in the giant slalom — the race she won at the 2018 Olympics, and her second shot at a medal in Milan Cortina. It’s also the race where she suffered a severe injury with a puncture wound in 2024. Shiffrin has had to deal with PTSD from the crash, and competing again in Olympic giant slalom is part of her comeback. Speedskater Erin Jackson will attempt to defend her Olympic gold in the 500 meters. Pairs figure skating begins, with Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea the top American pair. They had clutch performances to help the U.S. win gold in the team event and have an outside chance of a medal. And U.S. men’s hockey will be back in action against Germany.
Key events (all times ET)
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4:00 a.m. — Women’s giant slalom
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11:03 a.m. — Women’s 500m speedskating
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1:45 p.m. — Pairs figure skating
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3:10 p.m. — Men’s hockey (USA vs. Germany)
MORE: Medal tracker | Full schedule of events | Olympics 101
Here’s a live look at the top moments from Sunday’s events.
With a global sporting spectacle going on nearby, locals in Milan flooded San Siro to witness a riveting Derby d’Italia between Inter Milan and Juventus.
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Sports
Olympic hockey fans raise Greenland’s flag during USA’s dominant win over Denmark, sparking viral reaction
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During Team USA’s comeback men’s hockey win over Denmark at the Winter Olympics, two fans raised the flag of Greenland in the stands to protest President Donald Trump’s intent to acquire Greenland for the U.S.
The flag was raised enthusiastically after Denmark took an early lead. However, the U.S. came back to win the game 6-3.
Vita Kalniņa and her husband Alexander Kalniņš, fans of the Latvian hockey team who live in Germany, held up a large Greenland flag during warmups and again when the Danish team scored the opening goal of the preliminary round game against the U.S., which ultimately beat Denmark 6-3.
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The United States’ Brady Tkachuk, right, challenges Denmark’s Oliver Bjorkstrand during a preliminary round match of men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
“We are Europeans, and I think as Europeans we must hold together,” Kalniņš told The Associated Press.
“The Greenlandic people decide what will happen with Greenland, but, as it is now, Greenland is a part of the Danish kingdom and, as Greenland is a part of Denmark, as in this case, we support both countries against the U.S.”
A Danish fan at the game, Dennis Petersen, said, “It doesn’t matter whatever sport it is — it could be tennis, it could be bobsledding, it can be ice hockey, it could be football — it has nothing to do with politics. … They are athletes, not politicians.”
An American fan at the game, Rem de Rohan, said, “I think this is the time for people to kind of put that down and compete country versus country and enjoy,” he said. “We love rooting on every country that’s been here.”
Fans on social media had their own reactions to the flag display and the result of the game.
“Now that the USA is up 4-2 could we place a wager that if the USA wins the game, Denmark gives up Greenland?” one fan wrote in response to the flag.
One fan wrote, “Team USA won, do we get Greenland now?”
The United States’ Jack Eichel, second right, celebrates after scoring his team’s third goal during a preliminary round match of men’s ice hockey against Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Another fan similarly said, “How did that turn out? we won, we get greenland now.”
Some American conservative influencers used the U.S. victory as a springboard to make viral jokes about annexing Greenland.
The comeback victory by the U.S. appeared uncertain early in the game.
After trailing 2-1 through the first period, the Americans dominated on offense to take a 6-3 victory over Denmark Saturday in the Milan Cortina Olympic Games.
The Americans scored three unanswered goals to open the second period, with 4 Nations hero Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights) and Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights) finding the back of the net.
Both sets of brothers on the team — Brady and Matthew Tkachuk and Jack and Quinn Hughes — each had a point in the contest. Fourteen players had points for the Americans with a different goal scorer each time the lamp was lit.
The Americans had 47 shots on goal compared to Denmark’s 21.
The U.S. ends preliminary play Sunday with a game against Germany at 3:10 p.m. ET. The Americans will once again be heavy favorites, and a victory will put them into the knockout stage.
The Americans can also go right to the knockout stage with an overtime loss. With a regulation loss, their fate would be determined by Canada’s game against France and point differentials with Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.
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But as a heavy favorite against a German team with just eight NHL players, the U.S. may not need to worry.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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