Asia Cup 2025: India-Pakistan cricket clash ignites rivalry, young stars emerge

The stage is set for the blockbuster Asia Cup clash – the first of a possible three meetings – between two teams who have decimated the opposition in their opening matches. In terms of match practice, Pakistan would probably be happier, having batted all 20 overs, before their bowlers did the job against Oman. India, on the other hand, chose to bowl first against the UAE and needed just 4.3 overs to overhaul the meagre target, meaning their batters never really had the chance to spend time in the middle.

Looking at the sides, prior to their opening encounter, India last played a T20 match all the way back in early February this year. Of course, the Indian Premier League kept the players T20 ready, but that is not the same as playing as a unit against another international side. Pakistan, on the other hand, are just coming off their tri-series win in the UAE, having played five matches on way to winning the title against Afghanistan. And, although both teams have played their Asia Cup openers in Dubai, the venue for today’s match, Pakistan may just have the edge in terms of preparation.

But then, it is an India-Pakistan encounter, a rivalry of epic proportion and significance. Everything else goes out of the window and it eventually boils down to who blinks first. Nerves are as much at play here as the skill sets of the two hugely talented sides. While India have mostly had the upper hand against their neighbours overall in T20 matches, in Dubai, Pakistan have won two out of their three encounters.

So, what makes an India-Pakistan clash so special and why doesn’t it feel the same this time?

Cricket is a religion in both countries and when they meet, everything grinds to a halt in the two nations. The teams last met in the Champions trophy in February in an electrifying encounter that had fans on both sides of the border glued to their television sets. There has already been enough chatter leading up to today’s match and that is guaranteed to continue long after it is over. With both Indian and Pakistani expats thronging to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium well before the match begins, one can expect a festive atmosphere at the venue.

The most obvious answer to that would be the absence of two pairs of iconic players. Both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have called time on their T20 careers. They have a huge fan base among Indian supporters thanks to their charismatic persona and match-winning abilities and their unavailability has left a void that would be hard to fill. Despite cricket being a team game, Indian supporters like to idolize their favourite players and the absence of these two giants seems to have dimmed the enthusiasm a bit.

The same can be said for a Pakistan side without their talismanic Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The iconic duo was not included for the Asia Cup due to their rather conservative approach to batting and indications are they may have played their last T20 matches. Pakistan coach Mike Hesson believes in a fearless approach to the shorter white-ball version and the duo does not fit into his plans.

With due respect to the likes of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, it is the marquee India vs Pakistan match-up that brings in the crowds, fills the coffers and keeps the continental event alive. Both teams have new skippers – Suryakumar Yadav for India and Salman Ali Agha for Pakistan – along with younger and more explosive players. Encounters between these two nations have a habit of producing new heroes and fans of both sides will be hoping that someone from their side rides the nerves, rises to the occasion and delivers when it matters.