- Joined
- Nov 25, 2023
- Runs
- 21,636
It is about a legacy passed down from giants like Imran Khan to Sachin Tendulkar and then from Shahid Afridi to Virat Kohli. There's a profound, almost sad purity in the sight of these young men playing, knowing that for 40 overs, they are the only thing connecting and dividing around two billion people in the world. But what makes this specific Asia Cup final truly historic and utterly baffling? Can you Believe It? The sheer, mind-boggling fact is that this is the first-ever final between India and Pakistan in the entire history of the Asia Cup. How, in decades of competition and countless heated battles, have these two teams never made it to the final dance together? It’s an anomaly of cosmic proportions. Hence, this game won’t be played just for a trophy, but rather to correct a strange, prolonged historical oversight. After India’s dominant win against Pakistan in a group stage match in this tournament, the sporting world witnessed something truly dismaying - India refused the customary handshakes. The Indian captain justified it by saying, ‘Some things are more important than sportsmanship,’ dedicating the win to the victims of the Pahalgam attack. This choice, while emotionally charged for India, was seen globally as a major breach of the 'Spirit of Cricket’. Also, there has been the funky, ill-tempered fallout from the on-field skirmishes and gestures. Pure Chaos! The bad blood flowed like cheap ink. Pakistan’s Haris Rauf was fined 30% of his match fee for an aggressive, military-style gesture (metaphorically depicting the 'downing of aircraft') towards the indian fans, while Sahibzada Farhan was warned for his abominable celebration after his fifty. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav was also hit with a fine for ‘inflammatory comments’ alluding to military conflict. Then, opener Abhishek Sharma added to the funky humour with a quip, saying he went after Pakistan because ‘the way they came at us... for no reason.’
It has all been there in the past couple of days after the second match between them in the Asia Cup 2025. The ICC might have felt like a babysitter at a particularly aggressive children's party. So, what valuable lessons did the tournament teach us before the final day? We Learned Nothing and Everything! We learned that India are a juggernaut, cruising unbeaten, while the minnows like Oman and the UAE offered sweet, fleeting moments of competitive cricket before their inevitable, sad elimination. We learned that the field is indeed top-heavy, with the final being the dream fixture for the Asian Cricket Council, ensuring maximum viewership despite the early exits of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Now, now, it has come down to this question - Are India truly the ‘Best Team’ going into Sunday, or can Pakistan argue otherwise? Unquestionably! India have been ruthlessly clinical, dispatching every opponent with an enviable combination of batting firepower and spin strangulation. They have not only won but dominated the key phases of every match. Pakistan, in contrast, have scraped through, relying on their bowlers' grit and a 'new T20 route' that often looks more like a terrifying detour. India hold the psychological advantage, winning both prior matches in the tournament. Let’s know in detail about the first team to reach the final. INDIA. How are they shaping up? Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life, a pure, unadulterated spectacle of T20 hitting. His three consecutive 60-plus scores in three Super Four matches, with a strike rate of around 200, have given India the start of a dream. But then there's skipper Suryakumar Yadav, one of the T20 World’s best, who is enduring an alarming slump with scores of 12,5, and a golden duck in the recent outings. It’s an agonising, sad riddle, as how can the world’s best be so out of sorts when the final looms? On the flip side, how has the rest of India’s batting order shown unexpected resilience? Relief! India’s middle order was the initial question mark, but thanks to the steady hands of Sanju Samson and the rediscovered timing of Tilak Varma, particularly against the relentless pressure from Sri Lanka, the unit is humming. They have found the rhythm of rotation and boundary hitting, confirming that India’s batting depth extends far beyond the openers. But there is India’s biggest, most embarrassing flaw on the field.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
India squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh
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All posters, please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staff, etc.
2. No making fun of players', officials', or coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media, or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion, as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
It has all been there in the past couple of days after the second match between them in the Asia Cup 2025. The ICC might have felt like a babysitter at a particularly aggressive children's party. So, what valuable lessons did the tournament teach us before the final day? We Learned Nothing and Everything! We learned that India are a juggernaut, cruising unbeaten, while the minnows like Oman and the UAE offered sweet, fleeting moments of competitive cricket before their inevitable, sad elimination. We learned that the field is indeed top-heavy, with the final being the dream fixture for the Asian Cricket Council, ensuring maximum viewership despite the early exits of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Now, now, it has come down to this question - Are India truly the ‘Best Team’ going into Sunday, or can Pakistan argue otherwise? Unquestionably! India have been ruthlessly clinical, dispatching every opponent with an enviable combination of batting firepower and spin strangulation. They have not only won but dominated the key phases of every match. Pakistan, in contrast, have scraped through, relying on their bowlers' grit and a 'new T20 route' that often looks more like a terrifying detour. India hold the psychological advantage, winning both prior matches in the tournament. Let’s know in detail about the first team to reach the final. INDIA. How are they shaping up? Abhishek Sharma is in the form of his life, a pure, unadulterated spectacle of T20 hitting. His three consecutive 60-plus scores in three Super Four matches, with a strike rate of around 200, have given India the start of a dream. But then there's skipper Suryakumar Yadav, one of the T20 World’s best, who is enduring an alarming slump with scores of 12,5, and a golden duck in the recent outings. It’s an agonising, sad riddle, as how can the world’s best be so out of sorts when the final looms? On the flip side, how has the rest of India’s batting order shown unexpected resilience? Relief! India’s middle order was the initial question mark, but thanks to the steady hands of Sanju Samson and the rediscovered timing of Tilak Varma, particularly against the relentless pressure from Sri Lanka, the unit is humming. They have found the rhythm of rotation and boundary hitting, confirming that India’s batting depth extends far beyond the openers. But there is India’s biggest, most embarrassing flaw on the field.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufyan Moqim.
India squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma(w), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh
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All posters, please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:
1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staff, etc.
2. No making fun of players', officials', or coaching staff's names.
3. Do not add any references to media, their social media, or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.
4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion, as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
, will remember the words. 
