The Asia Cup final has arrived, and for once the weight of history feels heavier than the burden of expectation. India and Pakistan have clashed countless times, yet never in an Asia Cup final. Forty-one years in the making, Dubai now plays host to a contest that feels both inevitable and rare.
India enters the final unbeaten, while Pakistan has lost twice – both to the Indians. Yet even those commanding wins would count for little if Suryakumar Yadav’s men falter on Sunday, especially after he remarked that the rivalry sometimes felt lopsided, with recent results heavily favouring India. That, in turn, adds a different kind of pressure to the occasion.
India skipped the pre-match press conference, citing a recovery day, but Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha seized the opportunity to revisit the lingering no-handshake controversy. “Since I began playing competitive cricket, I have never seen a match end without a handshake,” he said, a reminder that the tension between the sides stretches far beyond the boundary ropes.
While the Asia Cup should have been a celebration of cricket, the tournament has often felt overshadowed by politics and unease. Calls for a boycott grew louder in the run-up, particularly as this was the first meeting since the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent cross-border hostilities. The Indian government, however, cleared the BCCI to proceed, stressing that Indian teams could face Pakistan in multilateral tournaments under the jurisdiction of international bodies.
From the very first match, the rivalry spilled onto the field. India’s “No Handshake Policy” dominated headlines when skipper Suryakumar Yadav turned away at the toss and left the field without the customary post-match gesture. What should have been routine became a loaded signal, setting the tone for a tournament where cricket and politics seemed inseparable.
Pakistan’s pacer Haris Rauf responded in kind, with sharp words, taunts, and even a reckless aeroplane-crash gesture. The ICC intervened, docking both players 30 per cent of their match fees, yet the tension never fully eased, simmering quietly all the way to the final.
Off the field, the drama continued. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also heads the PCB and the Asian Cricket Council, added to the provocation with cryptic posts on his ‘X’ timeline, ensuring the rivalry extended far beyond the boundary ropes.
There’s no sign Pakistan’s fast bowlers will curb their aggression in the finale too, with captain Salman Agha backing his team’s right to assert themselves on the game and the opposition-so long as it doesn’t go too far. For India, however, only one outcome matters: defeating Pakistan. Flawless or scrappy, handshake or not, the result is all that counts as Asia braces for a high-voltage final.
ON THE FIELD: UNBEATEN INDIA vs UNDERDOG PAKISTAN
Strip everything else away, and the contrast is stark. India arrive unbeaten, tested only once by Sri Lanka in a Super Over, carrying the composure of a team accustomed to winning. Pakistan, meanwhile, have stumbled but survived, scraping past precarious batting collapses against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to reach the final.
Abhishek Sharma has been India’s standout performer, with three consecutive fifties at a strike rate of 204.63 and an average of 51.50. Often outshining his opening partner Shubman Gill, Sharma has carried the batting load, though India will hope the law of averages does not catch up in the final.
India’s middle order has been less convincing, partly due to constant reshuffles. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube were promoted to No. 3 in different matches, before Samson settled back at No. 5 against Bangladesh. Against Sri Lanka, a more stable order allowed Tilak Varma and Samson to put on a 66-run stand in 42 balls, navigating the spinners with ease.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav, meanwhile, has struggled for consistency, scoring just 71 runs in five innings, including an unbeaten 47. With the T20 World Cup at home approaching and competition for places intensifying, he must step up on cricket’s biggest regional stage.
Pakistan’s batting, by contrast, has been fragile. From No. 3 to 6, the line-up averages just 18.85. Saim Ayub has failed to score in four of six innings, while skipper Salman Ali Agha averages 12.80. All-rounders Hussain Talat and Mohammad Nawaz have repeatedly rescued the team, guiding Pakistan past 134 against Sri Lanka and 135 against Bangladesh from difficult positions.
Shaheen Afridi has provided vital lower-order firepower, striking at 188.63 in the tournament. Promoted to No. 7 against Bangladesh, he hit 19 off 13 balls to stabilise the innings.
Batting becomes far tougher after the Powerplay, and how Pakistan negotiates India’s world-class spin trio will be crucial. In their last Super Fours clash, Pakistan raced to 91 for one before Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, aided by Shivam Dube’s medium pace, restricted them to just 80 runs in the final 10 overs. Dubai has seen India and Pakistan face off before – twice in this tournament alone – but nothing will feel as immense as Sunday night.
HISTORY AND UNCANNY UNPREDICTABILITY
History shows that this fixture often defies logic. Pakistan have an uncanny ability to snatch tournaments against the odds. In 1992, a rain rule combined with Wasim Akram’s brilliance delivered them the World Cup. In 2017, ranked last in the Champions Trophy, Fakhar Zaman’s reprieve off a Jasprit Bumrah no-ball set the stage for a match-winning hundred, while Mohammad Amir’s lethal new-ball burst sealed India’s fate. It is a mix of skill, chaos and fortune that no record book can fully capture.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha added a note of warning ahead of Sunday’s Asia Cup final. Despite heavy defeats in their previous two encounters with India in Dubai, he insisted that his team had “saved their best” for the summit clash and remained confident of producing a turnaround under pressure.
India cannot rely on form alone. Pakistan’s batters have studied and adapted – Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Perera’s strategies against India’s spin show that T20 margins are fine, and the underdog is never gone. India carry balance and depth, an aura of destiny. Pakistan carry unpredictability, capable of tearing it apart. This is why Sunday is more than a final. It is India-Pakistan, and nothing in sport feels quite like it.
INDIA vs PAKISTAN: KEY BATTLES
The showdown between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, and Pakistan’s pace duo Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, shapes up as one of the most intriguing subplots of the final. In their last encounter, words were exchanged, but the Indian openers came out on top. Afridi and Rauf will be desperate to turn the tables on Sunday, having showcased their potency against Bangladesh, each claiming three early wickets in the Powerplay. Their new-ball threat could once again unsettle India’s top order.
Abhishek Sharma, 25, has been India’s spark throughout the tournament. Shaheen Shah Afridi, also 25, is more experienced but has struggled against India in this Asia Cup. In their first meeting on September 14, Sharma charged Afridi’s first ball, sent a full toss over his head, and followed it with a six over extra cover, scoring 31 off 13 balls and carving out a crucial chunk of India’s modest target of 128.
Their second encounter, after the handshake controversy, was even more charged. Words were exchanged, Afridi’s temper flared, and when wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris suggested standing up to the stumps, Afridi waved him away. His first delivery was a bouncer, yet Sharma hooked it for six. Sunday promises another tense duel, where whether Sharma asserts himself again or Afridi finally gets his measure could decide the 2025 Asia Cup final.
Sahibzada Farhan, meanwhile, made history as the first Pakistani to hit a six off Jasprit Bumrah in international cricket during the group stage. He troubled India’s spearhead again in the Super Four, forcing Bumrah to endure his most expensive Powerplay spell in T20Is. But the third meeting may not favour Farhan. Bumrah, having regained his rhythm with a miserly four for 18 against Bangladesh, will be keen to reassert control and put India on top in the final.
INDIA vs PAKISTAN: DUBAI PITCH REPORT
Dubai is easing into autumn, but the heat remains punishing, with night temperatures around 36C. Dew can begin to settle at this time of year, though it has not been a major factor so far. Practice sessions have mostly been away from the main stadium, on a surface combining astroturf and natural grass, making dew effects harder to predict. A fresh central pitch will be used for the final. Over the past five years, T20 first-innings scores on this strip have averaged around 156, suggesting spin could once again play a decisive role.
INDIA vs PAKISTAN: TEAM NEWS
Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma suffered cramps and missed parts of India’s defence of 202 against Sri Lanka, but neither is expected to be ruled out. Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube, rested on Friday, will return, with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana making way.
Pakistan, keen to accelerate through the middle overs, had been linked with Hasan Nawaz’s recall after he missed three games. However, with India’s quality spin likely to be key, they are expected to stick with the combination that carried them through the Super Four stage.
India (Predicted XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah
Pakistan (Predicted XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
– Ends