Asia Cup 2025: Fearless Men in Blue face Pakistan’s rising stars

Itrsquos been 15 months since India last ran into Pakistan in a T20 International at the World Cup on an apology of a surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York The last time the two sides locked horns was during the 50over Champions Trophy this February at the Dubai International Cricket StadiumBacktoback wins for IndiaIndia trooped out winners on both occasions by six runs in New York in a lowscoring thriller where they defended 119 with zeal and aplomb and by six wickets here on the back of a sterling unbeaten century by Virat Kohli Thatrsquos pretty much been the story of recent onfield showdowns between the traditional rivals Pakistan have occasionally landed the knockout punch such as in the T20 World Cup in 2021 and in the Super Fours of the T20 Asia Cup in 2022 both in Dubai but India have consistently and comprehensively been the stronger and the more powerful sidePakistan skipper Salman Agha PICSAFP GETTY IMAGESAt the DICS on Sunday World Cup champions India also the No 1 T20I outfit will seek to extend their decisive 103 advantage in the 20over game while Pakistan sporting a new look under Salman Agha will attempt to buck an alarming trend and pull one back Both protagonists have warmed up for the bigticket clash with commanding victories mdash India by nine wickets with 93 balls to spare against UAE Pakistan by 93 runs against Oman on Friday on the same used surfaceA fresh track will greet the teams as they seek to steal the early march ahead of a nearconfirmed Super Four faceoff next Sunday on which a lot more will hinge from a tournament perspective Suryakumar Yadavrsquos troops and Agharsquos lads have practically guaranteed their places in the next stage and therefore the immediate stakes might not appear massive but when has that ever been the case when India and Pakistan have been drawn togetherSluggish ticket salesThe first match since the dastardly Pahalgam attacks in April and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor launched by the Indian armed forces the following month has attracted more than normal attention though the buildup to the game has been less frenzied with the organisers making a fresh batch of tickets available as recently as Friday evening Multiple factors have been held responsible for the somewhat tepid response to a contest certain to draw huge global interest among them the unforgiving heat that not even a 630 local time start is an insurance againstWhere India have evolved into a fearless uninhibited batting strike force with their captain leading the way Pakistan are just starting to smell the coffee The advent of Mike Hesson as the head coach has triggered a change in batting philosophy with positivity as the mantra though Pakistan will concede that in the new dynamic they have yet to encounter an attack as versatile and skilled as the one at their opponentsrsquo disposal There is more to Indiarsquos bowling than just Jasprit Bumrah but as ever the genius with the hyperextended right elbow will hold the greatest threat for batters who havenrsquot previously experienced his magic first hand