3 things to look forward to in India's Asia Cup 2025 Final clash vs Pakistan ft. Abhishek Sharma & Shubman Gill

One of the most high-profile matches of the calendar year will commence on Sunday, September 28 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India and Pakistan will lock horns in the Final of the 2025 Asia Cup.

India, who are unbeaten in the tournament so far, have already beaten Pakistan twice in the last few weeks. The Men in Blue are the favorites for the encounter, but we have seen their arch-rivals come out on top in crunch games a few times in the recent past.

An enthralling clash beckons, with plenty of storylines waiting to be unraveled.

India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

On that note, here are three things to look forward to in the 2025 Asia Cup Final between India and Pakistan.

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#3 Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill will be up against the Pakistan bowlers once again

Asia Cup Cricket - Source: Getty

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill truly went after the Pakistan bowling during the Super 4 stage, both verbally and with their bats. The opening duo weren't afraid to give it back to the opposition, putting on an imposing stand inside the powerplay.

Much of talk surrounding the final has been about how Abhishek will be able to counter Shaheen Shah Afridi, but Gill is in the picture as well. Short of runs so far in the Asia Cup, the classy right-hander is due for a big score. India's young openers will be entirely keen on dismissing the Pakistan bowlers once again, paving the way for an exhilarating passage of play.

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#2 How will the Dubai pitch play?

Asia Cup Cricket - Source: Getty

The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has been hugely unpredictable over the course of the 2025 Asia Cup. With each strip on the square having different properties, it remains to be seen the kind of conditions India and Pakistan encounter on Sunday.

Pathum Nissanka's century led Sri Lanka to match India's 200-plus score, while 135 has seemed a winning score on other occasions. Both the fast bowlers and the spinners have found some assistance from the deck, while the batters have always been in the game as well.

That lends an additional layer of intrigue to the contest between India and Pakistan. Both teams have clearly defined strengths and weaknesses in both departments, and how the wicket behaves could have a major say on the outcome of the clash.

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#1 Suryakumar Yadav vs Haris Rauf, Round 4

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

In three innings so far, Haris Rauf has dismissed Suryakumar Yadav three times. The contest between the Indian skipper and Pakistan's quick will be decisive on Sunday, especially if the Men in Blue lose their openers early.

Suryakumar's form has been dismal in recent times, but he's too good a player to be out of the runs for long. He had a decent Indian Premier League campaign earlier this year, even if he wasn't always fluent at the crease, and has often found a way to score runs in tricky situations.

If Suryakumar is able to take down Rauf, that could set the tone for the final and demoralize Pakistan.