India-Pakistan Set to Rewrite 41 Year Old History at Asia Cup Final

A historic final awaits at Dubai International Stadium as India and Pakistan meet for the first time in an Asia Cup title clash.

India-Pakistan Set to Rewrite 41 Year Old History at Asia Cup Final

Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha (Image via Johns. X)

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The 2025 Asia Cup has produced a dream final most cricket fans have been itching for forever. The four decade long wait has come to an end as the archrivals have placed themselves in the final against each other. India takes on Pakistan in the final on Sunday, September 28, at the Dubai International Stadium.

This will be the third India vs. Pakistan clash in a matter of three weeks, and it is the first time the two teams will play each other three times in the Asia Cup. Remarkably, in the 41 years of the Asia Cup and the umpteen attempts of the broadcasters to make the two sides meet again and again, they have not been able to reach the finals.

In recent times, India and Pakistan are intentionally kept in the same group so that the two teams go head on multiple times in the tournament. However, with one of the two teams slipping up in the Super 4s stage each time, the dream final couldn’t become reality.

Of the 11 finals that India has been a part of, they have faced Sri Lanka 10 times. The one time they faced another opponent was in 2016, they faced Bangladesh in the final.

Pakistan, on the other hand, has been part of 5 finals and has played 4 of them against Sri Lanka. They had one final against Bangladesh in 2012.

2025 Asia Cup India vs. Pakistan: Road to the Final

There is massive hype around the upcoming India vs. Pakistan final despite the boycott in the earlier clashes this Asia Cup. With both teams not playing bilateral series anymore, it is understandable why this final is a heartfelt occasion for both countries.

India has had the near perfect Asia Cup so far with some serious dominance in all three departments. The batters have looked ultra aggressive, well led by the openers, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Both batters have consistently given the team good starts, with Sharma nailing a few 70+ scores as well in quick time.

The bowlers have been brilliant too. Despite Jasprit Bumrah not having his best Asia Cup, India has not really had a big problem. The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel have been potent enough in the middle overs to get a stranglehold on most of their oppositions.

The only department where India has shown fragility has been their fielding. The team has dropped as many as 10 catches in the last two games, and that could trouble them in the big final if they drop a good batter of the opposition.

Dubai is set to heat up for all important final between India and Pakistan on Sunday.
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Shaheen Afridi (via Business Standard)

Pakistan, on the other hand, have stammered and stumbled their way into the final. They have been far from clinical, but it won’t matter now as they are in the final and they need one good game. The batting has looked ordinary with not many promising knocks from the top order batters.

Their lower order is supporting them regularly to get to a respectable score in each match, and they would want to change that in the final. The big plus for them is that their bowling has looked a league apart in their last two games.

Shaheen Afridi is looking lethal with the new ball as and so is Haris Rauf when he comes into the attack. The pair blew away the Bangladesh batting. Their spinners too have been consistent, and they must bank on the entirety of the bowling to get wickets against India.

One thing that Pakistan would be proud of this edition of Asia Cup is their fielding. Good fielding is often not one would associate with Pakistan, but they have surprised many with their catching efficiency, and that should be key in the big final as the Indian batters have been in good form.

It promises to be a cracker of a contest and one that the world awaits to see. With a few words exchanged between players the last time the two teams played, matters are expected to get fiery. The last time the two teams had met in the final of a multinational tournament was back in 2017 at the Champions Trophy. Pakistan had beaten India by 180 runs in that final and, if anything, India would want to avenge that.

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