IND vs PAK, Asia Cup 2025 final: Hardik and Abhishek injured; will they play in final?

In the India vs Sri Lanka Super Four match, Indian opener Abhishek Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya faced cramps, raising concerns about their availability for the Asia Cup 2025 final.

Hardik Pandya struck in the first over against Sri Lanka and did not come back to bowl again. Image | BCCI on X

Indian opener Abhishek Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya struggled with cramps during the India vs Sri Lanka final Super Four match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Hardik Pandya did not come to bowl the final over of the match, while Abhishek Sharma was replaced by Jitesh Sharma in the field during the second inning. Now, with the Asia Cup 2025 final 36 hours away, the big question is whether both players will be able to play the final on Sunday.

Abhishek is fine, Hardik needs to be assessed

In the post-match press conference, Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel addressed the media and stated that although both players had issues with cramps and missed a significant amount of time on the field during the India vs Sri Lanka match, Abhishek Sharma seems to be doing just fine.

However, as per Morkel, Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya will have to be assessed on Saturday, and then a call on him will be taken on Sunday, whether he will be able to play the final or not.

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"Hardik, I know we'll assess sort of tonight and tomorrow morning and we'll make a call on that. Abhishek is fine. Both of them were just struggling with cramps,” Morkel said after the match, which went down to the super over and India won eventually after Arshdeep Singh’s heroics with the ball.

Abhishek and Hardik have been in great form

Both Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya have been India’s key players throughout the Asia Cup 2025, and both of them have played all the matches so far. Abhishek, who has scored 309 runs so far in the tournament, has broken the record for the most runs in an Asia Cup edition. Not only that, he is now only the fourth Indian batter to score three consecutive fifties in a T20I series or tournament after Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul.

Meantime, Hardik has been superb with the ball, mainly with the new ball, and has been able to get wickets early in the innings. Along with that, he has also been partnering with Jasprit Bumrah to bowl the final two overs of the innings as well. However, we are yet to see the best of Hardik with the bat in the Asia Cup 2025.

While Hardik did not bowl the final over of the match yesterday, Abhishek Sharma did not come to bat in the Super Over for India.

“The key for the boys is to rest”

"The key for the boys is to rest," Morkel said in the press conference.

"They're already all in the ice baths, and the recovery sort of started straight away after the game. And the best way to recover is sleep and to stay off your feet. So hopefully they can all get a good night's sleep tonight.

"When they wake up tomorrow, I'm pretty sure there will be a pool session, an individual pool session for the guys, organized. And then from there, it's just getting a flush from the masseuses, getting massages, and getting themselves mentally ready for a big battle on Sunday.

"Like I said, it's a quick turnaround, so playing this smart is going to be key. But there will certainly be no training,” Morkel added.

When and where to watch the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup final?

It will be the first Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan. India have already beaten Pakistan twice in the tournament and will look to keep the domination going.

The match is on 28 September 2025 at 8 pm IST. Fans in India can watch the match on SonyLIV app and website, accessible via OTTplay Premium.

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