India will look to defend their Asia Cup title on Sunday when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-stakes final.
The unbeaten Indian side has dominated the eight-team tournament, defeating Pakistan twice already — once in the group stage and again in the Super Fours. Star opener Abhishek Sharma, the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 309 runs, and top spinner Varun Chakravarthy have led the charge. Kuldeep Yadav tops the bowling chart with 13 wickets, backed by strong spells from Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, and Chakravarthy.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha admitted his team must cut down on mistakes to stand a chance. “In Pakistan vs India matches, the team that makes fewer mistakes wins. We will try to make fewer mistakes tomorrow,” he said.
India, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, survived a Super Over scare against Sri Lanka in their last match, but remain firm favourites to lift the trophy. Suryakumar praised his side’s fearless approach: “Just execute the plans, be clear and not fear. That was really important.”
Pakistan, fresh from a tense win over Bangladesh in a virtual semi-final, are equally fired up. “We know what we need to do,” Salman Agha said. “We are a good enough team to beat anyone, and we will come on Sunday and try to beat them.”
The final is expected to be a fiery contest, with both teams carrying the weight of history and rivalry into Dubai’s packed stadium.
