Since their last meeting in the T20 World Cup 2024, a lot has changed for both sides. New coaches have come in, and several fresh faces have joined the squads. Indian stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have retired, while Pakistan has moved on from Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam. With these changes, plenty of new on-field battles are set to spice up the contest.
Asia Cup 2025 Schedule | Asia Cup Points Table
India have dominated Pakistan in T20Is historically, holding a 10-3 head-to-head advantage. After starting their campaigns with wins, both teams will look to maintain their momentum. Neither side has made any changes to their playing XI from their opening matches.
Explaining his decision to bat, Salman Agha said, “Going to bat first. We’ve been playing good cricket, very excited. Looks like a slow wicket. Just want to bat first and put runs on the board. Same side. Have been here for 20-odd days and are used to the conditions.”
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav was content with bowling first, saying, “We were looking to bowl first, happy with it. We played just one strip away, which was a nice wicket and better to bat on in the night. It’s humid so hoping for some dew. Same team.”
Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
