Former India cricketer Parthiv Patel picked his playing XI for the highly-important Asia Cup final against Pakistan. He made one key change in the team by dropping all-rounder Shivam Dube for left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh. This comes after Arshdeep bowled a phenomenal Super Over against Sri Lanka to lead the Men in Blue to victory.
However, Patel's decision of dropping Dube is quite surprising as the latter had contributed massively with the ball in India's previous clash against Pakistan in the tournament. Notably, Dube had picked up two big wickets for the Men in Blue during the match. He had dismissed both Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, playing a major role in restricting Pakistan to 171/5 in 20 overs.
If Arshdeep does get included in the playing XI, then it wouldn't be much of a surprise either as the left-arm seamer has a lot of experience in T20Is and is also India's highest wicket-taker in the shortest format.
Parthiv's team for the final
Parthiv Patel’s India playing XI for Asia Cup 2025 final: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Despite the exclusion of Dube, Parthiv's team does have depth in batting and have seven options in the department. He has also opted for six options when it comes to bowling. Meanwhile, there is a chance that both Dube and Arshdeep get picked in the playing XI for the all-important final. This is due to Hardik Pandya picking up a niggle during the previous match against Sri Lanka.
Fitness concern for Hardik?
Notably, Pandya only bowled a single over against the Lankan Lions before going off the field after sustaining cramps. He didn't return to the field for the remainder of the match, leaving a lot of question marks over his participation in the final. Following the conclusion of the game, India bowling coach Morne Morkel had confirmed that Hardik's condition will be properly assessed on Saturday. It remains to be seen if India will make any major changes to their playing XI for the final or not.