India vs Pakistan Live Score, Asia Cup 2025 Super Four: India eye another dominant show amid off-field tensions

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris(w), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

* India mile ahead with 11-3 head-to-head record against Pakistan in T20Is.

* Sanju Samson needs 83 runs to become the 12th India batter to 1000 in T20Is.

* Hardik Pandya is four wickets short of 100 in T20Is, while Faheem Ashraf is two short of 50.

The PCB has also engaged motivational speaker Dr Raheel Ahmed in a bid to reduce the stress levels of the players before Sunday’s crunch tie. It has been talked about that several youngsters in the Pakistan squad have been struggling to cope with the intense psychological pressure of facing a star-studded Indian line-up. Dr Ahmed has already held one-on-one sessions with some of them to identify the root causes of mental lapses in pressure situations.

According to a source in the team set-up, Dr Ahmed joined the contingent after the completion of Pakistan’s group league matches and has since been working closely with the support staff. In another unusual move, Pakistan also cancelled their customary pre-match press conference for the second game in a row, fuelling speculation about the tense atmosphere within the camp.

"If we talk about rivalry [with Pakistan], I don't know what kind of rivalry you are talking about. After going on the ground, I feel that the stadium is full. And when the stadium is full, I tell my team and everyone that it is time for entertainment. So many people have come to watch the match, so you have to entertain everyone."

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf and Khushdil Shah are expected to play today after Sufiyan Muqeem and Faheem Ashraf were left out against the UAE. Eyes will be on Saim Ayub, on a hat-trick of ducks, and Hasan Nawaz, who is in need of runs.

Sanju Samson scored a scratchy fifty against Oman, it is unlikely that he would bat No. 3 against Pakistan if right-hander Shubman Gill gets out quickly. It would be skipper Suryakumar, who would again be back at his familiar position which made him a world No.1 batter. In case Abhishek Sharma gets out in Powerplay, then left-handed Tilak Varma will bat at No.3.

For India, runs from Gill and some quality batting time for Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube hasn't happened so far. But one can trust India's top four to handle the Pakistani bowlers. n any case, Suryakumar and his men know when and to what extent the outside noise needs to be shut.

The pitches on offer at the Dubai International Stadium are helping the slow bowlers and onus will once again be on Kuldeep Yadav (eight wickets in the tournament so far), Axar and Varun to tilt the scales decisively in India's favour.

Suryakumar feels the conditions here have remained fairly consistent across innings, unlike in Abu Dhabi where dew often influenced play. The toss, too, hasn’t proven to be a decisive factor at this venue. Temperatures are expected to hover around 35 degrees at the start, though evenings in the city are already cooler compared to last week.

Axar Patel's head injury while trying to take a catch against Oman would keep him and head coach Gautam Gambhir little worried but fielding coach T Dilip allayed fears by stating that he thought the all-rounder was doing fine.

Before the Pakistan game, Surya needed to check all the important players in the line-up and it is very clear that Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh didn't look the part as little-known Pakistan-born Oman players -- 43-year-old Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza -- thrashed the out-of-sync duo.

On Sunday though, one will get to see Jasprit Bumrah, whose mere presence lifts the spirit of his teammates in the playing eleven alongside Varun Chakravarthy. Both were rested in the inconsequential last game.

Group Stage ✅#TeamIndia 🇮🇳 is 𝗥𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗼 in our 1⃣st game of Super Four! 👏 👏#AsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/lpbeU2Oi6C

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 21, 2025

Andy Pycroft was the match referee last Sunday when Indian team as a policy decision, didn't shake hands with the Pakistan team but the Zimbabwean found himself in the centre of the controversy after Suryakumar didn't follow the convention at the toss.

The Pakistan team had written two mails to ICC, first requesting Pycroft's removal from the tournament and then asking the global body to remove him from their games. Both the demands were outrightly rejected by the ICC as it stood firmly behind its Elite Panel referee.

The ICC rejected PCB's claims that Pycroft violated the 'Spirit of the Game' code, insisting that he was merely a messenger, who passed on what was conveyed to him from the designated Venue Manager of Asian Cricket Council.

Interestingly, Pycroft has again been appointed for the high-voltage Super 4 clash between India and Pakistan despite PCB's repeated requests to strike him off the roster.

Drama at ICC Academy! Reports claim Pak players tried poking Indian camp during practice — mind games before INDvPAK clash

Reports @Lakshit1601 from Dubai#AsiaCup2025 #IndiaVsPakistan pic.twitter.com/jDfXoJSsHu

— Sports Yaari (@YaariSports) September 21, 2025

After spinners ruled the roost in the group stage match last Sunday, Suryakumar Yadav will once again bank on his spin trio as the team prepares for another high-voltage Super 4 clash against Pakistan.

While India–Pakistan encounters have always carried an air of tension, this time the build-up has been fuelled even more by off-field drama. Last Sunday's storm erupted after Suryakumar and his men chose not to shake hands with their rivals, a gesture that drew sharp reactions.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of India's first Asia Cup Super Four match against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The focus is now back on the game after the handshake controversy took centre stage in the last encounter between the arch-rivals. Suryakumar Yadav-led India did not shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts as a mark of solidarity with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Indian tourists.

The Indian team is likely to continue with their stand of not shaking hands with their neighbours this Sunday as well, and handshakes might not be the order of the day even as Pakistani players and their supporters view the game as a 'Grudge Match'.