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Published : 13 Sep 2025, 10:32 PM
With the much-anticipated encounter between the two arch-rivals looming large, all eyes are now on the Asia Cup tie with Pakistan captain Salman Agha confident his team can beat any opponent, though India enter the contest with superior depth and strength.
Both India and Pakistan have launched their Asia Cup campaigns in style, crushing their respective opponents.
On Friday, Pakistan registered a commanding 93-run victory over Oman in Dubai, while India bowled the United Arab Emirates out for a mere 57 runs, chasing down the target in just 4.3 overs.
The arch-rivals will clash in Dubai on Sunday. While the match might seem routine in terms of progression to the next round, a contest between India and Pakistan is always high-voltage.
In their last three Asia Cup T20 encounters, India have won two matches, with Pakistan securing one victory. India, with their star-studded line-up, remain the favourites on paper, but Pakistan, fresh off a triumphant tri-series win in Sharjah, are backing their own strengths.
After Pakistan’s comfortable win over Oman, Agha shared his confidence ahead of the game against India, saying Pakistan were playing “good cricket” now.
Drawing from their tri-series win, Agha said it was important to “keep up the momentum”.
“If we can execute our plans for long, we’re good enough to beat any team,” Agha said.
Despite their dominant performance against Oman, Pakistan only managed 160 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Agha acknowledged that their batting still requires improvement, but he expressed his satisfaction with the team's spin attack.
Among Pakistan's spinners, left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz has been in superb form with both bat and ball. He was named both Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament during the Sharjah tri-series, and continued his fine form with a 19 off 10 balls and a wicket against Oman in the Asia Cup.
Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed and left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem have also been performing well, while all-rounder Saim Ayub, who can bowl both off-spin and leg-spin, has made an impact with the ball, often opening the attack.
