DUBAI: For the first time in over a decade, India will face Pakistan in a multi-team event without Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma. The duo long tormented India’s arch-rivals, pulling off wins from improbable situations. Their absence might have allowed Pakistan a few nights of peaceful sleep ahead of this Asia Cup clash — up until India’s ruthless dismantling of UAE in their opener sent a different message.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Suryakumar Yadav marshalled his resources with precision, asking UAE to bat first and giving his bowlers a proper feel of the conditions. Hardik Pandya, returning after the IPL, was given the new ball to shake off any rust, while Jasprit Bumrah bowled three overs on the trot to hit his rhythm early.
Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav were used smartly, squeezing the middle overs, before Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill mowed down a target of 57 in just 4.3 overs. The message to the rest of the teams in the tournament was loud and clear: be scared, be very scared.
Pakistan, too, thumped Oman by 93 runs on Friday but came away with a few concerns. Opener Saim Ayub’s lean patch continued as he fell for a duck, while captain Salman Ali Agha also fell without troubling the scorers. Their spinners — Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem — were slow through the air and didn’t look threatening, while Shaheen Shah Afridi went wicketless with the new ball, only striking late against the tail.India boast an impressive 9-3 head-to-head record against Pakistan in T20Is and, as reigning world champions, go into Sunday’s clash as overwhelming favourites.Pakistan, meanwhile, have undergone a major transition under white-ball coach Mike Hesson, moving on from Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan. The shake-up brought results — they won 10 of their last 14 games — but India’s form has been even more formidable, with 17 wins and just three losses since lifting the World Cup in June 2024.With the pitch expected to play slow, India are likely to stick with the same XI that played against UAE. Coach Gautam Gambhir’s preference for a long batting order could mean Arshdeep Singh misses out again.The left-arm pacer has been working on his rangehitting in the nets, perhaps being kept fresh for stiffer challenges ahead. Arshdeep’s absence means either Axar Patel or Shivam Dube could walk in at No. 8.
Subdued build-upThe build-up to this game has been subdued. Political parties and ex-players in India have called for a boycott. There is no confirmation yet whether BCCI or ICC officials will attend. It’s unclear if the stadium will be packed but the hype is muted. Pakistan opener Saim Ayub too downplayed the occasion. “It’s a big match for the people. For us, it’s just the next game. We stick to our process day by day,” he said.
