In a historic first, arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to clash in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 final after 41 years of tournament’s history. India enters the decider unbeaten, while Pakistan has lost twice, both times to the Men in Blue during this tournament. The buildup to this marquee match has been intense, fueled by events since their initial meeting on September 14.
These Five Battles Can Decide The Game
Abhishek Sharma vs Shaheen Afridi
One of the crucial contests to watch will be between India opener Abhishek Sharma and Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Afridi. Abhishek has been in blazing form, hitting boundaries off Shaheen’s first balls in both previous encounters in this Asia Cup edition. Statistically, Abhishek leads in their direct confrontations, amassing 31 runs off 14 balls at a strike rate above 220. Sharma is currently the tournament’s highest run-scorer, while Afridi ranks third among wicket takers. The outcome of this opening battle could be pivotal for both teams. Abhishek is the highest run scorer of this tournament and Shaheen has looked wanting against him. Shaheen is known for rattling stumps of openers ; he did it with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul during Pakistan’s 2021 T20 WC Win.
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Suryakumar Yadav vs Haris Rauf
Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf got the upper hand against Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav in their Super 4 encounter. Despite Surya’s underwhelming form in the tournament, his role batting at number three will be critical in the final. Rauf delivered a brilliant performance against Bangladesh, taking three key wickets to help secure a low-scoring victory. Though their head-to-head T20I stats are limited (Surya has scored 11 runs off 10 balls with an average of 3.7), Rauf has dominated. If Yadav can overcome Rauf’s challenge, he could help push India to a stronger position in this high-pressure contest .
Fakhar Zaman vs Jasprit Bumrah
This battle between Pakistan’s best batter Fakhar Zaman and India’s premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah promises fireworks. Bumrah has never dismissed Zaman in international cricket, but their overall head-to-head across formats includes Zaman scoring 41 runs off 64 balls at a strike rate of about 69. Bumrah, after a rare expensive outing conceding 45 runs against Pakistan, bounced back with a superb 2/18 performance against Bangladesh. This duel is expected to be among the most critical in the final . 2017 Champions Trophy final memories is still fresh in each cricket fan’s mind.
Varun Chakravarthy vs Sahibzada Farhan
Pakistani opener Sahibzada Farhan impressed with a fifty in the previous game against India. His performance through the middle overs will be tested against India’s mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. Although Chakravarthy went wicketless in the Super 4 match versus Pakistan, he was highly effective in controlling the run rate, conceding just 25 runs. Pakistan’s batters struggled to decode his bowling, making this matchup vital for India’s bowling strategy in the final .
Shubman Gill vs Saim Ayub
While Saim Ayub has had a tough Asia Cup as a batter, his bowling has been valuable to Pakistan, with crucial wickets taken in the powerplay. Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill fell victim to Ayub’s away turner in the league stage but reversed the fortunes in the Super 4 game, intensifying their head-to-head battle. Gill’s record against off-spinners in T20 cricket is mixed: he scores at a strike rate of 152 but averages only 16 and has been dismissed five times in 14 innings against this bowling style. In this Asia Cup, he scored 31 off 17 balls against Ayub at a strike rate of 177.8. The early powerplay contest between these two could be a critical factor in deciding the match . The tournament has gone average considering Gill’s standards.
Team News
Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma experienced cramps and missed parts of India’s chase against Sri Lanka but are expected to be available for the final. Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube, rested in the last game, are set to return, with Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana making way. Pakistan, looking to accelerate through the middle overs, considered recalling Hasan Nawaz after his three-game absence but are likely to rely on the combination that succeeded during the Super Four stage.
Predicted Indian XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
Predicted Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed