It’s time for another India-Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup, just eight days after their last meeting. Tense build-ups to Indo-Pak men’s cricket matches are nothing new, but the “surface tension” this time is particularly pronounced, following last Sunday’s controversy when Suryakumar Yadav and his team chose not to shake hands with their rivals, sparking a media storm. The past week has also been dominated by off-field drama, including Pakistan’s boycott threat ahead of the UAE clash and their appeal against referee Andy Pycroft.

On the field, little has changed. India remain the team to beat, while Pakistan continues to search for balance and consistency. Yet the spotlight has increasingly shifted from cricketing strategy to off-field tensions. The handshake incident drew attention away from the match itself, and it is understood that the Indian team may maintain the no-handshake policy for Sunday’s Super 4 clash, even as Pakistan players and supporters frame it as a “grudge match.”

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Battle of unequals in Super 4s?

Sunday’s game, like the last, is expected to be a contest of unequals, but the intensity surrounding India-Pakistan matches is unmatched in world cricket. Few sporting rivalries carry the history, pride, and sheer spectacle of this fixture. Off-field tensions aside, India are preparing for another dominant display, promising a high-pressure Super 4 encounter. Pakistan, in contrast, have retreated from media attention, choosing to prepare quietly behind closed doors.

Super Fours are effectively a fresh tournament, with the slate wiped clean for both sides. Even a line-up as fearsome and deep as India’s can see the gap narrow in UAE conditions, where slow pitches often produce smaller totals. Some might even argue Pakistan made life harder for themselves last Sunday by choosing to bat first in conditions that historically favour chasing.

Given all that, this India-Pakistan clash still has the potential to be one we’ll remember years from now—for pure cricketing reasons—despite recent history giving us little reason to expect it.

The Andy Pycroft saga

Andy Pycroft, at the center of the infamous handshake row on 14 September, will once again be the match referee when India and Pakistan clash in the Super Fours in Dubai on Sunday.

The PCB had demanded his “immediate removal” after Pycroft asked captains Salman Agha and Suryakumar Yadav not to shake hands at the toss of the September 14 game. He stayed on, and the controversy spilled into Pakistan’s next match against the UAE. The team skipped their pre-match press conference and did not take the field on time, forcing a one-hour delay while backroom talks with the ICC played out.

Even then, it was not straightforward. A last-minute meeting between Pycroft and Pakistan’s management just before the toss sparked fresh debate, but ultimately Pakistan agreed to take the field, hammered the UAE, and then set up the high-octane Super 4 clash against India.

India focuses on shutting the noise

For Suryakumar Yadav, “shutting out the noise” is easier said than done. The Mumbai captain, who anchored India’s successful chase last week with 47 not out, deliberately avoided shaking hands with opposition skipper Salman Ali Agha at both the toss and after the match. His celebration—a six to seal the win—was dedicated to the victims of the Pahalgam attack and the Indian Armed Forces.

“Close your room, switch off your phone, and sleep. I think that’s the best thing. It’s easy to say, but sometimes it is difficult because you meet a lot of friends, go out for dinner, and you have players who like to see all these things, so it’s very difficult,” Surya said candidly on the eve of another high-stakes clash.

India’s camp has a few minor concerns—Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh struggled against lesser-known Pakistan-born players Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza in the previous match. Sunday, however, promises the return of stalwarts like Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, both rested last time, whose presence alone boosts the team’s morale.

For India, Abhishek Sharma continues to assert himself at the crease, striking the ball cleanly, while Sanju Samson will draw confidence from his half-century. The lethal combination of Bumrah’s pace and Kuldeep Yadav’s spin remains central to dismantling a fragile Pakistan batting line-up.

Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube are yet to receive substantial batting time, but India’s top order is more than capable of handling Pakistan’s attack. Suryakumar will occupy his familiar batting position, with Tilak Varma ready to step in if Abhishek Sharma falls early.

Dubai International Stadium pitches favour slow bowlers, and India are likely to tilt the scales decisively with Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy. If Axar is ruled out, replacements such as Washington Sundar or Riyan Parag are on standby, though neither provides a direct like-for-like swap.

Pakistan’s lack of quality

Pakistan, once celebrated for unpredictability, now suffers from a lack of quality, particularly in batting. None of the current line-up appear adept at reading India’s slow bowlers—a stark contrast to legends of yesteryear like Javed Miandad, Inzamam ul Haq, Saleem Malik, and Ijaz Ahmed. Opener Saim Ayub, with back-to-back ducks, has ironically made more impact with the ball than the bat, earning jokes that he is turning from a “Saeed Anwar” into a “Saeed Ajmal.” Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi remain the only players capable of keeping Pakistan competitive, while the team continues to shuffle positions with little effect.

Unlike the last India game, Pakistan might field fast bowler Haris Rauf instead of a third spinner, following his strong performance against the UAE. Yet their overall balance remains fragile.

Pakistan has a history of producing miracles under pressure, but the no-handshake episode has cornered them psychologically. While their bowling may pose a challenge, inconsistent batting remains a glaring weakness. The balance of power tilts emphatically in India’s favour. Man for man, they are the more complete and superior outfit, though Oman’s upset serves as a reminder: the sum of the parts is always greater than the whole.

Sunday promises more than just cricket; it is a battle of nerves, pride, and history. For Suryakumar Yadav and his men, knowing when and how to shut out the outside noise could make all the difference in this latest installment of the ultimate cricketing rivalry.

India vs Pakistan: Dubai Pitch Report

Spin dominates across the UAE, especially in Dubai compared with Abu Dhabi. If fit, India are likely to use three spinners, including Axar Patel. Teams batting second have traditionally enjoyed a big advantage here—once winning 15 consecutive T20Is among Full-Member nations—but recent matches have been more balanced, with the last five games seeing three wins and two losses for the chasing side. According to Suryakumar, dew has been less of a factor than during the 2021 T20 World Cup, when losing the toss could severely hamper India.

India vs Pakistan: Team News and Predicted Playing XI

Axar Patel suffered a head injury while attempting a catch against Oman, but fielding coach T. Dilip is confident the all-rounder is fit. There has been no word from team management suggesting he won’t play Sunday’s clash, but if sidelined, India may have to rethink their three-spinner strategy and cope with slightly less batting depth than usual.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

– Ends

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