Asia Cup 2025, India vs Pakistan: Dissecting key player battles
What's the story
The highly anticipated clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 is just around the corner. The Group A match will be played on Sunday, September 14, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Team India heads into this match after a dominant win against UAE in their opening fixture. Meanwhile, Pakistan piped minnows Oman to open their account in the tourney. Here we decode the anticipated player battles.
#1
Mohammad Haris vs Kuldeep Yadav
Mohammad Haris, who hit a solid 66-run knock versus Oman, would aim to replicate his heroics against the Men in Blue. The veteran batsman will have his skills tested by Kuldeep Yadav, who was the Man of the Match against UAE after picking up four wickets for just seven runs. As per ESPNcricinfo, Haris has fallen to left-arm spinners nine times across 16 T20 innings in 2025.
#2
Saim Ayub vs Jasprit Bumrah
Arguably the best bowler of his generation, Jasprit Bumrah did not have much to do against UAE as Indian spinners dominated the contest. However, his heroics with the new ball can challenge the Pakistan openers in the upcoming game. Saim Ayub, who is known for his attacking batting, might look to dominate Bumrah. While the southpaw has a powerplay strike rate of 128.37 in T20s, Bumrah's economy in this phase is just 6.44.
#3
Shubman Gill vs Shaheen Afridi
The rivalry between Indian opener Shubman Gill and Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi has been brewing since their U-19 days. The duo has locked horns four times in international cricket, with Afridi trapping the Indian batter twice. However, Gill has emerged as a consistent performer in the 20-over format, boasting the second-most IPL runs since 2023 (1,966 at 50.41). Meanwhile, Afridi owns 47 T20I wickets in powerplay at an economy of 7.07.
#4
Suryakumar Yadav vs Abrar Ahmed
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, one of the most prominent T20I batters going around, can be up against Pakistan's leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed in the middle overs. This match-up could have a major impact on the game's outcome as the Dubai track favors spinners in the middle overs. SKY has a T20 strike rate of 162.96 against leg-spinners this year, falling to them just once across 12 innings.