After a one-sided clash last Sunday in the group stage, India and Pakistan are all set to share the ground at Dubai International Cricket Stadium today to start their campaign in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2025. In terms of form, India are coming fresh off three wins in three matches so far in the tournament and have almost all the boxes ticked. On the other hand, Pakistan beat the likes of Oman and UAE to reach the second stage. Their bowling has looked promising, but the consistency issue with their batting line-up still prevails. Both teams have a long list of players who can change the tide within overs, and we will be looking at some of those very names who will be under the spotlight in tonight’s all-important match.
1) Abhishek Sharma (India)
The young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has taken the tournament by storm, hitting boundaries at will and providing India a fiery start in the powerplay. However, he is yet to cross the 50-run mark, as in all three matches he lost his wicket after crossing 30-odd runs. He has 99 runs to his name in three matches and is India’s top scorer. Abhishek will finally try to take his innings a step further and play a big knock to ensure India’s win tonight.
2) Saim Ayub (Pakistan)
Before the start of Asia Cup 2025, Pakistani opener Saim Ayub was the most hyped batter for the team. But the youngster is yet to make his mark or even get going in the series. In the first two matches, he lost his wicket on the very first ball before registering a two-ball duck in the final game. A batter of his calibre having absolutely no runs to show after three matches in such a big event is concerning. However, he is still contributing for his team with his bowling. He has 6 wickets to his name, which is joint fourth-highest overall and the highest for Pakistan in the tournament. But the men in green would want their ace player to finally get some runs with the bat too and help his team get a brilliant powerplay start.
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3) Kuldeep Yadav (India)
One of the most impressive cricketers so far in the Asia Cup 2025, Kuldeep has proved that despite not being a regular name in India’s playing XI, he has all the rights to claim the spot on any given day. The chinaman has taken 8 wickets in 3 matches so far, making him the top wicket-taker for India and the second-highest overall. The spin wizard will try to replicate his performance from last Sunday to help the men in blue register a big win today.
4) Salman Agha (Pakistan)
While Pakistani skipper Salman Agha has done well with the captaincy hat, he is yet to deliver a captaincy-worthy performance in this Asia Cup 2025. So far, in three matches, his scores are 20 (27) vs UAE, 3 (12) vs India, and 0 (1) vs Oman, taking his total to 23 runs in three matches. Pakistan will need their captain at his best with the bat if they want to come out of the match victorious.
5) Sanju Samson (India)
After not getting to bat in the first two matches, Sanju was finally promoted to the number three spot in the playing XI in India’s match against Oman two days ago, where he scored a brilliant half-century to prove he is a must-have in the team. The batter will try to keep his form going, as a win against Pakistan could take his team a little closer to the final of the Asia Cup 2025.
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