India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2025: Playing XIs, key moments, and the fallout from Dubai
Match day in Dubai: XIs, tactics, and the chase
The build-up felt bigger than a cricket game. Security was tight, the noise was constant, and every move had a backstory. By the time the toss went up at the Dubai International Stadium, both camps knew what the night could do to their campaign and their nerves.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat. India didn’t mind. In Dubai, the surface often starts slow and grips, then eases up under lights. Dew can blunt spin, shorten mistakes, and speed up a chase. That played neatly into India’s plan for control first, acceleration later.
Here were the XIs both teams backed for the Group A clash:
- India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
- Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
On paper, India went with versatility and match-ups. Abhishek Sharma’s intent at the top covers the powerplay, while Shubman Gill gives control of tempo. Sanju Samson’s floating role—highlighted ahead of the game by assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate—offered flexibility against spin or pace. Suryakumar Yadav, as captain, doubled as the accelerator in overs 7–15. The middle-late overs were layered with two seam-bowling hitters, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya. With Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy, India packed three different spin angles around Jasprit Bumrah’s overs at each end.
Pakistan’s XI leaned into youth and left-right disruption. Saim Ayub’s message before the game was simple: keep calm when the ground is loud. He and Sahibzada Farhan promised a busy powerplay, Fakhar Zaman guarded the transition, and the middle featured captain Salman Agha with Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris for a late kick. Mohammad Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf were the glue between batting depth and control overs, leaving Shaheen Afridi to ask the big new-ball questions. Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed rounded out a spin-heavy middle phase.
That plan met India’s discipline early. Bumrah’s opening spell set the tone; Pakistan couldn’t free their arms across the first six. The surface held a touch, which let Kuldeep and Varun put a lid on the middle. India’s fielding backed it up—angles cut, twos pinched into ones, and boundary riders positioned like a chess problem solved the night before. Pakistan found pockets of momentum but never that ten-over burst that flips a target from manageable to menacing.
Given the pattern, India’s chase was set up to be methodical. The top three worked the gaps, and when Pakistan pulled the length back, India’s batters went down the ground instead of swiping cross-bat. Samson’s adaptability showed again—he slotted where the innings needed him. Suryakumar managed the rate without fuss, then opened the shoulders at the right time. With Dube and Hardik waiting and Axar in reserve, there was no panic even when Pakistan landed a short spell of hostility.
Pakistan’s best chances came with Shaheen’s new ball and Abrar’s deception. Shaheen beat the bat enough to spark hope but didn’t find that cluster of wickets Pakistan craved. Abrar dragged the pace down, and Muqeem offered control from the other end, but India kept breaking mini-stalemates with one clean strike every couple of overs. It sounds simple; it isn’t. That’s where the calmness showed.
In the end, India got home by seven wickets. The chase didn’t need late drama, and that was the story: a target shaped by pressure, then eased away by a batting order built for roles. The win put India in charge of their group, while Pakistan now have to turn the page quickly.
Through all of this, it’s worth remembering the mental prep behind the scenes. Head coach Gautam Gambhir drove the message of staying cold in hot moments. Ten Doeschate highlighted plug-and-play roles for Samson, Axar, and Hardik—players who can be moved up or down with no loss of output. That flexibility wasn’t just talk; it showed up in the chase tempo and bowling switches.
The crowd? Split, noisy, restless. Every dot ball got a cheer; every misfield, a groan. Dubai often feels like neutral ground only on paper. On nights like these, it’s a pressure cooker with a skyline.
What it means: politics, protocol, and the road ahead
This game wasn’t just about bat and ball. The backdrop was heavy after the Pahalgam terror attack, and the drumbeat for a boycott was loud. The fixture went ahead because the Asia Cup is a multilateral tournament, not a bilateral agreement. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju underlined that point later, drawing a line between tournament commitments and country-to-country series. Sport and geopolitics rarely travel on separate roads in this rivalry; this week, they collided again.
Post-match, a new flashpoint grabbed attention: reports that Indian players declined post-game handshakes with Pakistan. Reactions flew fast—some called it poor form, others argued for security and protocol context. The truth is the tunnel after a high-tension game can be messy: TV timings, security corridors, and team briefings all compress into minutes. Still, for a rivalry watched by hundreds of millions, it became a talking point that drowned out the tactical story.
On the cricket side, the selection calls told their own tale. India put trust in dual all-rounders—Hardik and Dube—to keep the batting deep and the pace options fresh. Axar gave them a left-arm spin and batting bridge. Kuldeep’s control in the middle shut off release overs to Pakistan’s left-handers, while Varun’s mystery threatened the right-handers trying to hit with the breeze. Those match-ups didn’t just happen; they were mapped. When the dew came in, it favored the chasers yet again, a familiar Dubai theme.
Pakistan’s template needs tweaks, not a teardown. The top order has intent but must pick a gear and stick with it for longer than four or five overs. Fakhar’s role as the enforcer in overs 7–12 becomes critical when the ball stops doing much. With Salman Agha and Mohammad Haris, they have the pieces to attack spin, but they’ll want a more stable launch. The bowling remains punchy—Shaheen’s first spells still scare batters, and Abrar’s drift is a problem even on truer pitches. What they missed here was a burst from the third seamer or a surprise over from Nawaz that flips the script.
From a tournament lens, the points matter as much as the message. India’s seven-wicket win cushions net run rate and takes the edge off their next group game. They won’t get carried away—this team knows how quickly a short tournament can swing—but the signs are good: roles are clear, execution is clean, and the bench has like-for-like cover. Pakistan have to reset, probably starting with tight powerplay batting plans and clearer death-bowling routines.
The rivalry itself keeps moving. Every chapter adds something. This one added two things at once: a calm Indian chase and a debate over etiquette. Some will argue the cricket should be enough; others will say symbolism matters. Both things can be true. What sticks on the field is this: India controlled the pace of the game from the first spell, never let the asking rate balloon, and walked off with the points.
Strip it back and the cricket showed why this fixture still grabs the world: small margins, big emotions, and one team finding rhythm when the other is still searching. There will be another round soon enough. Until then, Dubai files away one more chapter in the India vs Pakistan story, a night where control beat chaos and a chase looked easier than it had any right to be.
- Sep, 15 2025
- Zander Lockhart
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Written by Zander Lockhart
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