Asia Cup final, India vs Pakistan: Dissecting key player battles
What's the story
For the first time in history, India and Pakistan will clash in the final of the Asia Cup. The much-anticipated match will be played at Dubai International Stadium on September 28, marking a major milestone in cricketing history. Suryakumar Yadav's men will head into the finale as favorites, having beaten Pakistan twice earlier in the tourney. Here we decode the anticipated player battles.
#1
Abhishek Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
India's Abhishek Sharma and Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi are certain to lock horns as they open the proceedings in their respective departments. The two players had a heated exchange during the Asia Cup Super 4 clash, with Abhishek going after Shaheen en route to his 39-ball 74. The Pakistan pacer, who was expensive against India, claimed a match-winning three-fer in his last outing. He would be raring to stop the in-form Abhishek this time.
#2
Suryakumar Yadav vs Abrar Ahmed
Suryakumar Yadav will look to score big in the Asia Cup 2025 final, with leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed being one bowler he would target. The latter has bowled with an economy of 5.03 in the ongoing tourney, having managed five wickets. However, SKY has a T20 strike rate of 151.21 against leg-spinners this year, falling to them just once across 14 innings.
#3
Jasprit Bumrah vs Sahibzada Farhan
Albeit in a losing cause, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan scored a fine 45-ball 58 in the Super Four encounter against India. He also tackled the talismanic Jasprit Bumrah well. The Indian pacer, who has not looked at his lethal best in this tourney, would want to unleash his A game with the new ball. Notably, Farhan has scored 33 runs across two innings against Bumrah in this tourney while striking at 137.50.
#4
Kuldeep Yadav vs Salman Agha
With 12 wickets at an economy of 5.65, Kuldeep Yadav is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. The left-arm wrist-spinner will target Pakistan skipper Salman Agha, who has had a poor tournament, scoring 64 runs from six matches at 12.80. Earlier, Kuldeep bagged 3/18 in the Group A clash against Pakistan. He has been particularly sensational in the middle overs.