IND vs PAK Final Live Cricket Score, India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Final Today Match

Jasprit Bumrah has taken the ball from the other end for India, and he did slip in a slower one early in the piece. The kind of team India has selected for this game indicates a lot about how they are looking at the surface, and that slower one from Bumrah just in the opening over is indicative of the same point. Regardless of how they have perceived things with the lack of Hardik Pandya, it does look a bit incomplete. The attack and how Surya plays his cards in the final overs are going to be crucial. As per Pakistan, they have had a subdued start so far, which is quite usual here on this wicket.

Well, Shivam Dube would have thought of many things he would have wanted to do in the Indian colours, and in that entire bucket list, it will be interesting to see where his opening the ball will be. Nevertheless, he is doing it today. There is a bit of nibble for him to work with, which is always the case at this venue; however, with his pace, he is always susceptible to getting hit for a few in these initial overs with just two fielders outside the ring. But Suryakumar Yadav seems to be quite adamant about the stacking up of his overs.

I've played one opposition three times, so yeah, interesting is the word for me. (Bowling three overs in the powerplay) Yeah, it's a different role. The team has wanted to use me up front in three overs, so yeah, that's something which is very new for me as well because I've not been used to doing this role. I remember I did it in 2016 when I first came to the international side. So yeah, it's an interesting role. See, I'm happy to do whatever the team asks me to do and try to contribute to the best of my ability. (Speaking about India's phenomenal record) The team is looking ominous. I think at this moment, you don't look at reputation because I think IPL has helped a lot because all the youngsters in our team are very, very confident and they know they're very good. I remember when I came in 2016, I did have a conversation and, okay, you know, you're still trying to convince yourself. But all the other players that I see, they've played 5-7 games, but they're so confident. They know they're really good. They've played against the best bowling line-ups. They've dominated them. So I think that really helps to get them confidence and then they take the game forward as it comes. I think that's the key. (India-Pakistan's results in this tournament and pressure on today's game) Any game you start from zero, you take the confidence from previous games and you don't go too high, too low against any opposition. We've always maintained that. We've always felt like when we focus on our team, we focus on our strengths and our combinations, we usually do well. When we focus too much on the opposition, the other team, what they are looking to do, it doesn't really concern us. We look at ourselves. We do our processes. We tick our boxes.

No surprises that India opted to bowl. They have chased 8 times against Pakistan and won all those games. Pitch looks like a featherbed. There is less grass and it looks flat. Only thing is it might get a little slower because of the lack of grass. It is the same pitch used for both India-Pakistan games and India have chased both times. 170 in a final is like 180-190 in a league game. May not be match-winning but you can certainly put pressure on the opposition. India have strengthened their batting. Hardik is a tough pill to swallow because it's difficult to balance the side. He is an allrounder and influences the combination and that's why he should have been rested against Sri Lanka

We are looking to bowl first. It looks like a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights. We have been batting well first but we would like to chase today. The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here and it will stay the same. The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good and we would like to continue that. Unfortunately Hardik misses out due to a niggle, Arshdeep and Harshit also miss out. Bumrah, Dube and Rinku come in.

The part-time spinners are going through a long spell of bowling. Even Shubman Gill turned his arm over

could this be a sign of Hardik not playing?

Hardik has not done pretty much any warm-up. Then he is not someone who does elaborate warm-ups

either.

“I’ve been playing cricket since 2007 professionally. I’ve never seen no handshakes between two teams. My dad is a huge fan of cricket and used to tell me about its history. He never told me about any game where there’s not been a handshake. I’ve heard it’s never happened before. When India-Pakistan games took place in even more tense situations, handshakes always happened. Not to have handshakes is not good for cricket. If someone wants to be aggressive, whether they’re from my team or their team, I have no issues with that, but you should shake hands at the end of it,” Agha said at his press conference.

After reaching the Asia Cup final unbeaten, are the all-conquering Indian team due for a defeat? Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar certainly thinks so. Even though Akhtar has spent the last few weeks criticizing Pakistan team's performances during his appearances on panel discussion shows back home, as soon as Pakistan qualified for the final on Thursday night after defeating Bangladesh, he changed track, showering praise on the team. He even said that they were good enough to defeat the Indian side in the Asia Cup final. For the record, the Indians have now defeated Pakistan twice in the Asia Cup, by seven wickets in a group stage encounter and a six-wicket win in the Super 4 stage.

But the results of the last two Sundays notwithstanding, Akhtar has urged Pakistan to forget about India's "hawa" (aura) and defeat them today.

“We need to break out of this mindset, break down the hawa (aura) that has been built around the Indian team, and go in with the same attitude we had today against Bangladesh. Take India on. That's the kind of attitude you need. And please remember we don't need to go in thinking we have to bowl 20 overs. No! we need to get them out. When you go out to get them out, even India will realize they have to fight to score runs and that they won't get any free runs,” Akhtar said on the Game On Hai show on PTV Sports. “Pakistan has to move beyond this, forget about India being the number one team. We have the number one fast bowler in Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf is as quick as anyone in the world today. So there's no issue if you go in with this attitude.”

Ahead of the Asia Cup final, Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha found plenty to lament about. He was unhappy with the Indian team, led by his Team India counterpart Suryakumar Yadav, refusing to shake hands with them in both their clashes so far at the ongoing Asia Cup.

Despite Agha's protestations, Yadav and Co are likely to continue their stance for the final today.

“I’ve been playing cricket since 2007 professionally. I’ve never seen no handshakes between two teams. My dad is a huge fan of cricket and used to tell me about its history. He never told me about any game where there’s not been a handshake. I’ve heard it’s never happened before. When India-Pakistan games took place in even more tense situations, handshakes always happened. Not to have handshakes is not good for cricket. If someone wants to be aggressive, whether they’re from my team or their team, I have no issues with that, but you should shake hands at the end of it,” Agha said at his press conference.

Sandip G, The Indian Express' man on the ground in Dubai, has a beautiful tale of two of cricket's most famous Superfans who are divided by borders but united by their love of cricket.

In the ongoing Asia Cup, tempers have frayed between India and Pakistan players on field> Handshakes have been refused, Players have eyeballed each other. Bats have been used as make-believe guns. Plane crashes have been mimicked. But Pakistan superfan Chacha Cricket, whose real name is Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, has been busy pacifying the fans.

“I just tell them, cricket is for love, not for fight… Support your country, respect your opponent. At least, the crowd listens,” he says, with a sardonic peal of laughter.

In the stands, Jalil is often seen with Indian cricket’s own superfan — Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, a wiry man with a bushy moustache, his body painted in the Tricolour and ‘Miss-U Tendulkar 10’ inked on the chest.

On Sunday, when India and Pakistan square off in the Asia Cup final and the antagonism could once again spill onto the field, Jalil and Sudhir would be shaking hands, spreading love and celebrating their two-decade-long brotherhood that has blurred boundaries of all hues.

READ SANDIP G'S PIECE FROM DUBAI

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has named the one player that the Indian team should not --- MUST NOT! --- drop from today's XI for the India vs Pakistan final of the Asia Cup: left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh.

“I’ll say this even with my glasses on! Even if you wake me up from deep sleep, my answer won’t change: Arshdeep must play. How many runs will the number 8 batsman make? Not too many, and you don’t need that many. And for the World Cup in six months, work on Arshdeep’s batting, work on Varun Chakravarthy’s batting, Bumrah can already hit a bit, decent bat swing. The batting coach needs to give more time to these guys,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’.

Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha had defended the aggression of his pacers, particularly Haris Rauf, in the previous game against India in Super 4.

“If someone wants to be aggressive on the ground, then why not. If you deprive a fast bowler of their aggression, then what’s left?” Agha said at the pre-final press conference. “Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give players license to react the way they want at the ground. As long as they’re not disrespecting anyone and stay within the line, I have no issues with that.”

In the Super 4 game, Haris Rauf had mimicked crashing planes and also held up six fingers (to show 6-0) at the crowd, a dig based on Pakistan Army’s claim that it had shot down India’s fighter jets. Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi exchanged stares with Indian openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.

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