"They will find a way to come back and stay relevant" - Aakash Chopra's huge praise for Indian spinners ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Men in Blue spinners are superior to their Pakistan counterparts heading into the Asia Cup 2025 final. He highlighted that the Indian spinners will figure out a way to bounce back even if they are attacked at the start of their spells.

India will face Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on Sunday, September 28. The Men in Blue are likely to field three frontline spinners - Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel - in their bowling lineup.

Previewing the Asia Cup 2025 final in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener pointed out that the defending champions' spin-bowling attack is more skillful.

"If we do man-to-man marking, Indian spin has much more skill, whether you see Varun Chakaravarthy's mystery, Kuldeep Yadav's left-arm leg-spin and googly, and even Axar Patel. The Indian spin bowling has a lot of might, and you have found many examples of that in this Asia Cup already," Chopra said (4:20).

"In the first game against Pakistan, the Pakistan batters' situation was like a cobra had strangulated them when the spinners attacked them from both ends. They had no idea. They have the quality that even if you attack them once, they will find a way to come back and stay relevant," he added.

While highlighting Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep's attacking ability, Chopra praised Axar for his smartness.

"Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are extremely attacking. You can't hit them out of the attack. It's not possible to hit them repeatedly. Axar is a very smart operator and I still remember the over he bowled against Imad Wasim in the 2024 T20 World match. So Axar Patel holds a very important role," he elaborated.

With 13 scalps at an economy rate of 6.04 in six innings, Kuldeep Yadav is the highest wicket-taker in the Asia Cup 2025. While Varun Chakaravarthy has picked up five wickets at an economy rate of 6.27 in five innings, Axar Patel has accounted for four dismissals while conceding an average of 7.00 runs per over in six innings.

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"When Abhishek Sharma attacked him, we saw him having no idea" - Aakash Chopra on Abrar Ahmed ahead of IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Abrar Ahmed conceded 42 runs in four overs in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash between India and Pakistan. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Abrar Ahmed lost his line and length when Abhishek Sharma attacked him in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours.

"In the opposing team's spin, Abrar Ahmed bowled very well against Sri Lanka, but we saw what happened when we attacked him. Abhishek Sharma is a very important cog in that. When Abhishek Sharma attacked him, we saw him having no idea. Abrar Ahmed was pitching balls at his own feet or bowling wides, he said (7:00).

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, apart from Abhishek, would be the key Indian batters against the Pakistan spinners.

"Mohammad Nawaz wasn't bowled at all. To neutralize their spin, somebody like Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube later, and maybe in between somehow Hardik Pandya because he is a clutch player vs Pakistan. They will have to negate them and the Indian spinners will have to tighten their grip," Chopra observed.

With 309 runs at a strike rate of 204.63 in six innings, Abhishek Sharma is the highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2025. He smashed a 13-ball 31 in India's Group A game against Pakistan and followed it up with a 39-ball 74 in the Super Four clash between the two sides.