IND vs PAK, Asia Cup 2025 final: India won the toss and invited Pakistan to bat first in the high-octane Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan at the Dubai International stadium on September 28. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya sits out of India's playing XI due to niggle as Rinku Singh walks in as his replacement. Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube have also been included in India's playing XI for the grand finale.
India and Pakistan have so far faced two times in the Asia Cup 2025 and on both occasions the Men in Blue hammered Salman Ali Agha's side.
What did the captains say?
India captain Suryakumar Yadav, after winning the toss, said:
"We are looking to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights. We have been batting well first but we would like to chase today. The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here and it will stay the same. The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good and we would like to continue that. Unfortunately Hardik misses out due to a niggle. Bumrah, Dube and Rinku come in".
Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Salman Agha, after losing the toss, said:
"Definitely happy to bat first. We are very excited and looking forward to this game. We haven't played a perfect game and hopefully we play one today. Same side. We have been playing on these pitches for a while and it will play the same."
India's Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
Pakistan's Playing XI:
Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
IND vs PAK's head-to-head record in T20Is:
Matches played: 15
India: 11
Pakistan: 3
Tied: 1
Last result: India won by six wickets (Dubai, 2025)
Pitch report:
"No surprises that India opted to bowl. They have chased 8 times against Pakistan and won all those games. Pitch looks like a featherbed. There is less grass and it looks flat. Only thing is it might get a little slower because of the lack of grass. It is the same pitch used for both India-Pakistan games and India have chased both times. 170 in a final is like 180-190 in a league game. May not be match winning but you can certainly put pressure on the opposition. India have strengthened their batting. Hardik is a tough pill to swallow because it's difficult to balance the side. He is an all-rounder and influences the combination," Simon Doull and Ravi Shastri analysed the pitch.