Having thrown the gauntlet down with a thoroughly ruthless performance against Hong Kong on Friday, Pakistan have made a statement of intent going into the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.

Where India huffed and puffed their way to a 40-run victory, Pakistan overwhelmed their overmatched opponents in Sharjah in the final Group A game, bowling them out for 38 and registering a most commanding 155-run victory. By itself, neither the result nor the margin will influence Sunday’s game against India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, but Rohit Sharma’s men will feel they have been forewarned.