India and Pakistan will lock horns in the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday, rekindling one of cricket's most intense rivalries for the third time this month.
This is the first-ever India-Pakistan final across 17 editions of the men's Asia Cup since the tournament's inception in 1984.
This final comes against the backdrop of a heavy dose of drama what with Indian Skipper Suryakumar Yadav dedicating the September 14, 2025 win to the Pahalgam victims, Pakistan players Haris Rauf and Shahzada Farhan making controversial gestures, and the handshake controversy.
India vs Pakistan in Finals
| Year | Tournament | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket | Melbourne Cricket Ground | India beat Pakistan by 8 wickets |
| 1986 | Austral-Asia Cup | Sharjah | Pakistan beat India by 1 wicket |
| 1994 | Austral-Asia Cup | Sharjah | Pakistan beat India by 39 runs |
| 2007 | T20 World Cup | Johannesburg | India beat Pakistan by 5 runs |
| 2017 | Champions Trophy | The Oval | Pakistan beat India by 180 runs |
Players from both teams know that with the title win at stake, all that has to now go on the back burner and the focus has to be trained solely on the big prize.
India, the defending champions, have been on a roll, winning all their six matches (3 in the Group phase and 3 in the Super 4s) in the tournament.
While they've been unbeaten, they have shown a few signs of vulnerability.
Suryakumar Yadav's Poor Run
While opener and in-form World No. 1 Abhishek Sharma, going all guns blazing from the get go and hitting three half centuries, his opening partner Shubman Gill has not been as consistent. With just one noteworthy score of 47 against Pakistan in the Super 4s match, he has not exactly exuded much confidence.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav has also not hit the high standards normally expected of him. While he has marshalled his troops admirably, his batting has been mediocre.
Across five innings in the Asia Cup, Suryakumar has managed scores of 7 not out, 47, 0, 5, 12. Surya looks a pale shadow of his previous dominant assured self and his shot making is riddled with doubt.
His shot selection has come under scrutiny with Sunil Gavaskar telling the India Today television channel after SKY's lean run in the previous two games: 'It was important for the captain to come in and get a few runs. He came at number four and got out playing the same shot again. That is normally a very productive shot for him, no question about it.
'But when you're struggling, maybe you shouldn't play it until you've really got a feel for the surface. Once you've settled and scored 25 or 30 runs, then you can play that shot.'
Whether the captaincy is weighing on his batting or not, India will need Suryakumar to lead from the front in the final on Sunday.
Samson And The Middle Order Conundrum
The middle order has been a massive question mark for India. Save for Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson, who has been shuffled across the batting line-up, the middle order has not really fired. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel have not really had noteworthy contributions with the bat.
Varma is the second highest run-getter for India in the tournament after Abhishek with 144 runs in 6 matches at a strike rate of 132.
Samson has not had a consistent run and still has 108 runs in this tournament, the fourth highest after Abhishek, Varma and Gill.
Sanju didn't get to bat in India's first two Group A games. Against Oman he came in at No. 3 and scored a 45 ball 56, albeit minus his trademark fluency.
He was then dropped down to No. 5 in the Super Four match against Pakistan where he made a 17-ball 13 while chasing, his brief innings was riddled with difficulty in middling the ball and rotating the strike. He was eventually bowled out by Haris Rauf as he tried to go swinging.
He was pushed down to No. 8 in the order against Bangladesh and eventually did not bat.
Against Sri Lanka in the last Super 4s game on September 26, Samson scored 39 off 23 at a strike rate of 169, the second best after Abhishek who scored 61 off 31 at a strike rate of 196!
Bumrah Under The Scanner
Bumrah has been below par in this tournament. Throughout, Suryakumar has bowled him in three over bursts in the Powerplay, making him ineffective.
He is most productive in the role of partnership breaker in the middle overs but with him being used up early in the innings, he is usually kept back to bowl at the death. This has not yielded expected dividends.
India Vs Pakistan Head To Head (Overall)
136 ODIs: India have 58 and lost 73 with 5 no results
15 T20Is: India have won 11 and lost 3. Only one match, their first ever, played in at ICC World T20 Championship in September 2007, was tied.
Bumrah was taken to the cleaners by the Pakistani openers in the Super 4s encounter, smashed for 45 runs in four overs.
How Surya uses Bumrah in the final will be crucial for if India are to face another tense situation like they did against Sri Lanka in the Super 4s match on Friday, going with the same tactic could see India pay a heavy price.
Wrist Spinners Carry India
Kuldeep Yadav has been impeccable in this tournament. With 13 wickets, he now has the record for most wickets in one edition of the Asia Cup.
He has woven a web around the opponents with two three wicket hauls -- once against Pakistan (3 for 18) in the opening Group match and then against Bangladesh (again 3 for 18) in the Super 4s.
Varun Chakravarthy, who has taken four wickets in four games at an impressive economy rate of 5.85, has been unlucky as many catches have been dropped off his bowling during the course of the tournament. He has contained runs, putting pressure on the opposition batters in the middle overs.
Although both spinners didn't do too well against Pakistan in the Super 4s game, they will be more than a handful. Pakistani batters have been found wanting against spinners across the competition and Sunday's final will be a real challenge.
Pakistan Head Coach Mike Hesson has dismissed the notion that his men can't read spinners from the hand and countered this perception saying that one doesn't need to in order to be successful.
Pakistan batters' inability to read the spinners saw them tottering at 49 for 4 after 10 overs, thanks to Axar's twin strikes. Thereafter, Kuldeep joined the party and took two wickets to put Pakistan on the backfoot in their Group game.
India's Butter Fingered Fielders
Over the last few years, India have set a high standard as far as fielding was concerned. But at the Asia Cup in Dubai, India have shockingly dropped the bar.
In the ongoing tournament, India has dropped 12 catches (4 versus Pakistan and 4 versus Bangladesh, both in the Super 4s) and boasts an efficiency rate of 67.5 per cent, the second-lowest among all participating nations.
Fielding under lights has been a challenge for India and Varun Chakravarthy explained after the match against Bangladesh: 'You can't give excuses at this level... We should be taking these catches, but definitely, if you ask me about rings of fire, it comes in the eye, something. It is a little bit of a disturbance.'
After being handed a reality check by Sri Lanka in Friday's Super 4s match, with little turnaround time, unbeaten India will have to learn quickly if they are to defend their title.
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