Asia Cup 2025: Off-field drama adds fuel to India-Pakistan round two

Handshakes, or rather the absence of them, have been in the eye of the storm ever since the denouement of the Group-A clash between India and Pakistan in the Asia Cup last Sunday (September 14, 2025).

With the storm far from subsiding, the two arch-rivals will meet again at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 21, 2025).

This time, the stakes are even higher, for a win to kick things off in the Super Four stage will go a long way towards facilitating the path to the final on September 28.

In the aftermath of the first encounter, the quest for one-upmanship on the back of India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan’s players saw the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demand the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the tournament.

PCB president Mohsin Naqvi’s contention was that Pycroft had prohibited both captains from shaking hands at the time of the toss. The ICC has categorically rejected that demand.

In the midst of all the off-field drama, the ease with which India brushed aside Pakistan in that first fixture has almost been overlooked. If the contest between bat and ball has to now return to the forefront, it will require Salman Agha’s men to show far more skill and shrewdness than they managed last week.

In recent times, the rivalry has been fuelled more by past baggage and public sentiments than riveting duels on the field. After India’s most recent rout of Pakistan by seven wickets, the head-to-head in the shortest format has swayed further in the former’s direction. In 14 contests, one of which was tied and India won in a Bowl Out, the Men in Blue have won 11 and Pakistan thrice.

For Pakistan to spark a reversal in fortunes, a way to negate India’s spin triumvirate will have to be found. At this venue last weekend, the side floundered on two counts: in addition to losing six wickets to Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy, it was also far too cautious with its rate of scoring, seldom exerting any pressure back on the Indian tweakers. It resulted in a subpar total of 127 for nine that the eight-time champion overhauled with 25 deliveries to spare.

While Suryakumar experimented with two specialist pacers at the expense of Varun for the inconsequential affair against Oman on Friday, India should revert to its combination of three spinners for the marquee outing. Jasprit Bumrah, who was rested for the Oman tie, will also return to spearhead the attack. In the batting department, Sanju Samson’s half-century versus Oman, though not his most fluent, bodes well.

Pakistan, on the contrary, has serious concerns to confront. None more so than the wretched run of Saim Ayub at the top of the order. The 23-year-old southpaw is yet to score a run in this competition, having been dismissed for three consecutive ducks in the preliminary stage. If not for his handy off-breaks, he wouldn’t warrant a spot in the team. The form of skipper Salman is another worry.

The boys in green need to place far more attention on fixing these issues. And perhaps not worry so much about the ritual of handshakes.

The teams (from):

India: Suryakumar Yadav (Capt.), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh.

Pakistan: Salman Agha (Capt.), Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Faheem Ashraf, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem.

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