1. Jasprit Bumrah vs Saim Ayub
Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the greatest bowler of this generation. A nightmare for every batsman who stands against him. Rarely does a batsman go unscathed and unbeaten after a matchup with Bumrah. But now there is a new kid on the block. And Bumrah will be licking his lips at the prospect of getting yet another scalp under his belt. But on the other hand, Saim Ayub, the 23-year-old, has a golden opportunity of making a name for himself when he faces Bumrah with the new ball in his hand.
2. Shubman Gill vs Shaheen Afridi
A short yet intense rivalry that will shower us with memorable moments over the years is that of Shubman Gill and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Sparks were flying in the direction of their opponent right from the U-19 level. And at the senior level, it has just gotten more serious. A very balanced rivalry has seen Shaheen get the Indian opener out twice, but recent history suggests that Gill has had the upper hand.
3. Kuldeep Yadav vs Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan's answer to India's spin department, led by Kuldeep Yadav, will be Fakhar Zaman. The veteran batter with all his experience is Pakistan's best player of spin and will have his limits tested by the Chinaman bowler, who was the Man of the Match against the UAE after picking up 4 for just 7 runs.
4. Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohammad Nawaz
The Indian skipper is one of the, if not the most well-rounded, T20I batsmen going around. But even every force of nature has its Kryptonite. And Suryakumar Yadav's Kryptonite is left-arm spin. Mohammad Nawaz, who, according to head coach Mike Hesson, is the "Best Spinner In The World", will be tasked with repeating what he did in the 2022 World Cup and send SKY back to the pavilion.
5. Hardik Pandya vs Abrar Ahmed
Hardik Pandya has always been India's saviour down the order. Just remember his vital involvement in Melbourne in that historical chase. And if it comes down to that, the swashbuckling all-rounder will have to slog the likes of Abrar Ahmed, the Pakistani leggie. The one who wins this battle might have a huge impact on the outcome of the game.
India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asia Cup 2025: Amid boycott calls, India face Pakistan with usual frenzy missing
A spoilt-for-choice Indian squad will be the favourite by a country mile against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday in their Asia Cup encounter which is strangely devoid of any hype despite border tensions that have only risen in the past few months.
Fans speak
All set!
Stat Attack
* Since 2014, seven of the eight T20Is between India and Pakistan have been won by the chasing side, including all three in Dubai.
* Hardik Pandya tops the wicket-taking charts in men’s T20Is between the two teams, with 13 scalps in six innings. Remarkably, he has claimed three three-wicket hauls in that span, averaging just 12 runs per wicket.
5 key battles to watch out for
1. Jasprit Bumrah vs Saim Ayub
Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the greatest bowler of this generation. A nightmare for every batsman who stands against him. Rarely does a batsman go unscathed and unbeaten after a matchup with Bumrah. But now there is a new kid on the block. And Bumrah will be licking his lips at the prospect of getting yet another scalp under his belt. But on the other hand, Saim Ayub, the 23-year-old, has a golden opportunity of making a name for himself when he faces Bumrah with the new ball in his hand.
2. Shubman Gill vs Shaheen Afridi
A short yet intense rivalry that will shower us with memorable moments over the years is that of Shubman Gill and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Sparks were flying in the direction of their opponent right from the U-19 level. And at the senior level, it has just gotten more serious. A very balanced rivalry has seen Shaheen get the Indian opener out twice, but recent history suggests that Gill has had the upper hand.
3. Kuldeep Yadav vs Fakhar Zaman
Pakistan's answer to India's spin department, led by Kuldeep Yadav, will be Fakhar Zaman. The veteran batter with all his experience is Pakistan's best player of spin and will have his limits tested by the Chinaman bowler, who was the Man of the Match against the UAE after picking up 4 for just 7 runs.
4. Suryakumar Yadav vs Mohammad Nawaz
The Indian skipper is one of the, if not the most well-rounded, T20I batsmen going around. But even every force of nature has its Kryptonite. And Suryakumar Yadav's Kryptonite is left-arm spin. Mohammad Nawaz, who, according to head coach Mike Hesson, is the "Best Spinner In The World", will be tasked with repeating what he did in the 2022 World Cup and send SKY back to the pavilion.
5. Hardik Pandya vs Abrar Ahmed
Hardik Pandya has always been India's saviour down the order. Just remember his vital involvement in Melbourne in that historical chase. And if it comes down to that, the swashbuckling all-rounder will have to slog the likes of Abrar Ahmed, the Pakistani leggie. The one who wins this battle might have a huge impact on the outcome of the game.
From bowl-out drama to last-ball thrillers: Top 5 most memorable India vs Pakistan T20I clashes
What was said ahead of the match
"We're aware of people's feelings, at the same time we've got to go out, and the guys get a chance to play for their country, and they'll be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstance." - Ryan ten Doeschate
"We are not just looking forward to the Pakistan-India match, but we are looking forward to winning the tournament." - Saim Ayub
Probable XIs
India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Hasan Nawaz, 6 Mohammad Haris (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Sufiyan Muqeem, 11 Abrar Ahmed
Pitch and conditions
As has been witnessed, Dubai has not been a high-scoring venue, with the average run rate in the first innings over the last two years standing at under eight. Fast bowlers have more wickets to their name (277 out of 441), but spinners have been more economical (7.03 vs 8.36).
The pitch is likely to play on the slower side again, giving spinners a bigger role as the tournament progresses. The conditions should be slightly kinder weather-wise, with temperatures expected to peak around 39 degrees. However, dew could still come into play later in the evening, making chasing the preferred option for the captain who wins the toss.
Head to Head: Who holds the upper hand?
ODI Rivalry in Asia Cup
India and Pakistan have pitted against each other 15 times in the Asia Cup's ODI format. With eight victories, India gained the upper hand while Pakistan emerged victorious on five occasions. The remaining two games produced no result.
T20I Meetings in Asia Cup
For the first time in 2016, the Asia Cup was organised in the T20I format, and the current edition is the third time the tournament is being played in the shortest format, with the second coming in 2022. India also hold the upper hand here with two wins out of three games, while one match went in Pakistan's favour.
Overall in Asia Cup
Combining ODIs and T20Is, India and Pakistan have met 18 times in the Asia Cup. India lead the tally with 10 wins, compared to Pakistan's 6, while 2 games ended in no result.
The Bigger Picture
However, when it comes to overall head-to-head in ODIs, Pakistan enjoy the advantage with 73 victories from 136 matches, while India have won 58 games. In T20Is, India are far ahead with a massive margin, winning 10 of 13 encounters.
Brittle Batting line-up
More than bowling, it is the batting line-up of India that will make Pakistan anxious. Gill, Abhishek, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube can butcher any bowling attack on their day. When it comes to all-rounders -- Faheem Ashraf is not comparable to Hardik in terms of match-winning ability. These are players, who can take pitch out of the equation at any given point of time.
If India are wary of any one particular bowler in the Pakistan line-up, then it has to be Shaheen, who has fond memories at this ground in 2021. He had dismissed KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and some overs later Virat Kohli to set up a nice T20 World Cup group league win for his country. But post knee surgery, Shaheen hasn't been half the bowler he was and the late swing and off the pitch movement has gone missing.
The key for India will be to figure the ideal batting line-up. Sanju Samson's slot will be vital and so will be that of Dube, whose assigned task will be to take down the spinners in the middle overs. The noise may be absent, but the stakes remain high. Because when India and Pakistan take the field, hype or no hype, the world stops to watch.
Battle of spinners
Normally, an Indo-Pak match has been about Indian batters locking horns with Pakistani pacers but this time around, the spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action on Sunday.
Although the pitch isn't offering a significant turn, the presence of one right-arm wrist spinner and one left-arm wrist spinner each in both sides makes for a fascinating sub-plot.
Sufiyan Muqeem is a good bowler but nowhere close to a much craftier Kuldeep Yadav, whose googly has been unplayable from the hand.
Abrar Ahmed's leg-breaks and quirky celebrations have gained him a lot of fans across Pakistan but Varun Chakravarthy, with an element of mystery attached to his art form, can mess with minds of Pakistani batters.
He could especially be tough for young guns like Saim Ayub, Shahibzad Farhan, who aren't reading spinners from their hands.
Last but not the least, Mohammed Nawaz, the left-arm spinner, ranked 30th in actual ICC rankings but at the zenith according to his coach Mike Hesson isn't a patch on Axar Patel, who is the most valuable yet low profile player in the Indian line-up.
A one-sided contest?
There are batters like Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, a pacer like Jasprit Bumrah, spinners of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy's calibre in the Indian playing XI. The Indians look way more menacing on paper compared to Pakistan, who are trying to find their feet under new skipper Salman Ali Agha. However, considering the fickle nature of the format, there is always the chance of an upset but against this Indian team, the probability remains low.
Sports Yaari's Lakshit Mehndhiratta on the upcoming IND-PAK clash
Contest lacks on-ground hype
The fervour of the India-Pakistan clash often grips fans, but this contest does not seem to excite people as it generally used to. Reports of low ticket sales are also doing the rounds on social media, hinting that this contest has not generated the same momentum.
Boycott heat
The game will be played under heavy criticism and boycott calls in India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists. However, the BCCI made it clear that they are just following the Indian government's policy, which allows the national team’s matches against the bitter rivals at multi-nation tournaments but not at the bilateral level. This will be the first match between the two sides since the military conflict in May, when India launched strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan-controlled territories.