Pakistan beat Bangladesh, set up first ever Asia Cup final date against India
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
On Sunday, in the crucible of Dubai, it all comes down to a single question: Who will seize their moment and become a hero for a nation?
Pakistan are currently in the second spot with two points, ahead of UAE (2 points) on net run rate.
Seldom has an India vs Pakistan clash played with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with off-field tension, provocative gestures, and fines slapped on both camps.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav closely inspected the pitch of the Dubai International Stadium on the eve of their highly-debated Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said Babar Azam has been asked to improve certain aspects of his game.
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of Asia Cup 2025.
The tournament had been fraught with tension from the very start, and the animosity carried into the final, which India won by five wickets on a rather long Sunday night.
Shreyas Iyer's 604 runs across 17 matches for Punjab Kings at a strike-rate in excess of 175 did not resonate with the selectors during the Asia Cup selection.
Pakistan made short work of an inexperienced UAE batting unit by winning their last group league game by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.
'Talat has done very well in domestic cricket. I know him for several years. He has been working really hard with his game, so I'm really happy for him.'
Mohammad Haris struck a fluent half-century as a dominant Pakistan thrashed minnows Oman by 93 runs, in a Group A Asia Cup match.
Pakistan survived a wonderful spell from an enraged spinner Wanindu Hasaranga to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in an intense Super 4 match to stay alive in the Asia Cup, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
A fine half-century by Jaker Ali guided Bangladesh to their maiden T20 series victory over Pakistan in Dhaka on Tuesday.
I don't remember how I felt when Pakistan lost to India in New York: Saim Ayub
Firing the first salvo ahead of high profile Asia Cup clash against arch-rivals India, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson on Thursday termed left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as the "best spinner in world cricket".
Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
Pakistan's ODI campaign ended in embarrassment as they collapsed to 92 all out in the series decider against the West Indies
Unless a player picks up an injury in training, India's team is expected to wear the same look against a Pakistan squad that are without top stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, lending it a look of youth and experience.
Abhishek Sharma was brutal and beautiful in equal measure during his scintillating 74 as India made a tricky chase look comfortable, winning an ill-tempered Super 4 contest of the Asia Cup against Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday.
India, for all their internal debates and external expectations, look like the one side that has clarity of purpose. And clarity, in high-pressure tournaments, often counts for more than raw talent.
The fringe and aspiring bunch will look to own the elevated Duleep Trophy stage as the red-ball competition returns to its traditional zonal format and marks the start of India's domestic cricket season.
Pakistan captain Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam have been dropped from the T20 squad for the upcoming five-match series in New Zealand.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has announced plans to write a biography detailing his experiences with match-fixing scandals that plagued Pakistan and world cricket in the 1990s.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday
The delegations led by Baijayant Panda, Ravi Shankar Prasad (both Bharatiya Janata Party), Sanjay Kumar Jha (Janata Dal-United), Shrikant Shinde (Shiv Sena), Shashi Tharoor (Congress), Kanimozhi (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) and Supriya Sule (Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar) will visit a total of 32 countries and the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
A fiery century by Hasan Nawaz and top-class performances from pacers helped Pakistan keep the series alive
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to investigate a case involving a UK-based Pakistani agent, Mughiz Ahmad Shearachiikh, who has been suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for breaching its anti-corruption code. Shearachiikh and his company, International Cricketers Association (ICA), had signed several centrally contracted Pakistani players last year.
Acutely conscious that he's left with less than four years to create his legacy, Trump is undoubtedly a man in a hurry, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The Pakistan cricket team left for Dubai for the marquee Champions Trophy clash against arch-rivals India without opener Fakhar Zaman, who suffered an injury during the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi on February 19. The left-handed batter has been replaced by Imam-ul-Haq in Pakistan's squad.
Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off in a dead rubber match in the Champions Trophy on Thursday, both teams looking to salvage some pride after disappointing tournament performances. Both teams have suffered heavy defeats to New Zealand.
Indian captain Virat Kohli arrived two hours early for practice ahead of the crucial Champions Trophy clash against Pakistan, focusing on his struggles against spin bowling.
Shaheen Afridi also missed the last two Tests against England in October.
Former captain Babar Azam, pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah returned to the Pakistan team for the upcoming white-ball series in Australia.
Wickets fell at a steady rate thereafter, with Jayasuriya striking three times, claiming the wickets of Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam and Sarfaraz Ahmed to leave Pakistan struggling at 101 for five.
Spinners took 16 wickets on Sunday as Jomel Warrican's seven-wicket haul restricted Pakistan's second innings to 157, setting a target of 251 for West Indies, who failed to get a partnership going on the turn-heavy track.
New Zealand clinched the tri-nation title by beating hosts Pakistan by five wickets in the final in Karachi on Friday to give them a major boost ahead of next week's Champions Trophy.
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has criticized Babar Azam for focusing on personal milestones over team success, expressing concerns about Pakistan's preparations ahead of their crucial Champions Trophy clash against India. He believes Pakistan's recent struggles, including a disappointing Tri-Nation Series campaign and a 1-1 draw against the West Indies in a home Test series, point to a lack of readiness for the India encounter.
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