3 player battles to watch out for in India vs Pakistan, 2025 Asia Cup final ft. Jasprit Bumrah

India and Pakistan will lock horns in the 2025 Asia Cup final at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, on Sunday, September 28. This will be the third time that the two arch-rivals face off in the edition.

The Suryakumar Yadav-led Men in Blue trumped Salman Agha's Pakistan on both occasions. India have enjoyed a dominant run in the tournament, with a six-match unbeaten streak to their name.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have won four out of their six games. Both of their losses have come against Suryakumar Yadav and Co. Overall, the two sides have squared off in 15 T20Is.

With a lead of 12-3 (including one bowl-out win at the 2007 T20 World Cup), India have the upper hand in the head-to-head battles. Pakistan have just a single win against India in their last five meetings in the format.

Notably, this will be the first time that India and Pakistan will compete in an Asia Cup final. Here, we take a look at three player battles to watch out for in the crucial contest:

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#1 Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)

Opener Abhishek Sharma has dazzled the viewers with his blistering batting exploits in the 2025 Asia Cup. The southpaw is the leading run-scorer of the competition, amassing 309 runs across six innings at a strike rate of 204.63.

He comes into the final with three consecutive half-centuries. Pakistan will aim to dismiss the swashbuckling batter early in the all-important clash. They will rely on their pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi to make early inroads.

Abhishek has dominated the contest against Shaheen in the tournament, scoring 31 runs from 14 balls without being dismissed. However, the Pakistani fast bowler has regained his form ahead of the final.

The 25-year-old registered figures of 4-0-28-3 in the Super Fours match against Pakistan. He was the Player of the Match in the subsequent encounter with Bangladesh, finishing with a spell of 4-0-17-3.

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#2 Sahibzada Farhan (Pakistan) vs Jasprit Bumrah (India)

Sahibzada Farhan played an impactful knock against India in the Super Fours stage. The opening batter scored 58 runs off 45 balls. He launched an onslaught against star speedster Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay.

Bumrah had a forgettable outing, recording ordinary figures of 4-0-45-0. The seamer was rested for the side's final Super Fours match against Sri Lanka. He will be keen to redeem himself by coming up with an impactful performance in the final.

The mini-battle between the two could be an exciting one for the viewers in the summit clash. Bumrah has claimed five wickets from four innings at an economy rate of 7.33 in the 2025 Asia Cup. Farhan is Pakistan's leading run-scorer in the edition, with 160 runs in six outings, albeit at an underwhelming strike rate of 107.38.

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav (India) vs Haris Rauf (Pakistan)

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will be under some pressure ahead of the final. He has had a rather quiet tournament with the bat, barring an unbeaten 47-run knock (37 balls) against Pakistan in the group stage.

He was dismissed by Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf for a three-ball in the Super Fours fixture. The dynamic batter has clearly struggled to counter Rauf.

Suryakumar has lost his wicket to the pacer three times in as many innings. He has chalked up 71 runs across five innings at a strike rate of 107.57.

Rauf has looked in impressive form during the 2025 Asia Cup. He has bagged nine scalps from four innings at an economy rate of 7.84.