India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: All Eyes On Rivals Ahead Of Likely Rematch

WITH TWO POINTS tucked comfortably in their respective back pockets, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha will go face off in what is unarguably the marquee clash of the T20 Asia Cup. Given prev alent political conditions, bilateral series are currently impossible, and as a result, the only time you’ll see India play Pakistan in a cricket match is in an ICC/ACC tournament. Say what you will about organisers doing their utmost to shoehorn as many India-Pakistan encounters into a tournament (no matter how much it imbalances the groups), nothing comes close to the amount of attention and drama these matches generate.

India made short work of the UAE in their opening encounter (something that can be attributed as much to the home team’s impatience with the bat as the visitors’ dominance) and after a laboured start, Pakistan swatted aside Oman with equal ease. This, both teams’ second in the group stage, is likely to be the sternest test either will face in the current section of the tournament, with a match each against Oman and UAE respectively to follow.

HEAD TO HEAD 

Since their first-ever meeting on the T20I stage — a tied game in Durban that had to be decided by a bowl-out in 2007 — India and Pakistan have played each other a further 12 times in the format. The team in the blue corner have won nine of those and the team in the green corner has had to make do with just three. And the last time they met was in New York in the T20 World Cup last year.

In a low-scoring thriller, the Babar Azam-led side restricted Rohit Sharma and Co to 119. Standout performances from Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf kept India in check every time it seemed the batters were getting comfortable. Set a target of exactly a run a ball, Pakistan began confidently, but were kept shackled by tight lines and lengths. Of particular note were Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah’s extremely accurate spells. On the day India would win by six runs, paving the way for their eventual triumph over South Africa in the final.

THE BIG STORY AND SOME SUBPLOTS

In all honesty, the T20 Asia Cup thus far ha s been a rather drab affair. One-sided results galore, very few surprises and even a match that was expected to provide high drama (Saturday’s Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match) was little more than a damp squib. The so-called minnows have played true to form and most disappointingly, showcased little appetite for building innings. Instead, they’ve opted to go out in a blaze of glory and assemble tiny totals. This is where Sunday night’s match can provide a spark that lights up the remainder of the tournament.

India’s team selection in their opening match against the UAE raised a few eyebrows — Sanju Samson playing ostensibly as a middle-order wicketkeeper, going with three spinners and Shivam Dube instead of skilled T20 bowler Arshdeep Singh and so on. It’ll be interesting to see if the experimentation continues or if the selection reverts to type. Against Oman, Pakistan stuck to what most would agree was their strongest XI. And while the spin battery outclassed the hapless Omani batters, the batting was far from convincing. Mohammad Haris’s blazing half-century notwithstanding, Saim Ayub’s golden duck and Sahibzada Farhan’s laboured efforts at the top of the innings will be of concern to skipper Agha.

The two players to watch out for will be Rauf and Suryakumar. While the likes of Bumrah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abhishek Sharma and Abrar Ahmed are more than capable of changing the course of a match, it’s the two players mentioned at the top of this paragraph who seem the most likely to singlehandedly pull off a win. Dubai is a low-scoring venue and so a swathe of quick wickets or a rash of big hits could turn the tide in a matter of overs. Keep your eyes on these two.

Finally, if the hype around this match seems a bit subdued, it’s because this is probably the least consequential encounter between India and Pakistan in the T20 Asia Cup thus far. It’s impossible to imagine a scenario where the duo doesn’t progress to the next stage, where they will face off again next Sunday (September 21). That time around, the stakes will be much higher as the prize will be a crucial couple of points in the race to the final — where the teams could meet for an unprecedented third time. But, be that as it may, Round 1 (of a possible 3) takes place in just a few hours. See you at ringside!

Karan Pradhan is editor-in-chief of Story Mode, a gaming and gaming-adjacent magazine. Follow him on X/Twitter @karanpradhan_

Watch the ACC Asia Cup 2025 LIVE on Sony LIV with OTTplay. Don't miss a minute!