Asia Cup 2025: More Than Just an India-Pakistan Battle
Asia Cup 2025: India-Pakistan Match Hijacks Tournament Buzz
Dubai: The hype surrounding the India-Pakistan match on September 14 has fully overshadowed the hype for the Asia Cup 2025, and tickets for the encounter were booked quicker than for any other match during the competition.
They are not alone in scheduling the high-voltage meeting as a priority—numerous foreign journalists are coordinating their Dubai arrival with the match, even missing India’s opener against UAE on September 10.
During the pre-tournament press conference, attention was bound to fall on how the players deal with emotions on the pitch. Interviewed on aggression in light of political tensions, India captain Suryakumar Yadav responded: “Aggression is always present on the field. You cannot do without it in order to win.” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha was less tense, throwing in: “If a person wants to be aggressive, that’s his choice. My side doesn’t issue instructions to anyone.”
This leaves match officials to ensure that things do not get out of hand. Ironically, while both captains did not threaten aggression, some reports have already forecast fireworks when the arch-rivals confront each other.
A relaxed mood otherwise
Other than the India-Pakistan glare, the captains’ meeting had a more relaxed atmosphere. Yadav was pictured chuckling with Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan, while Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka openly confessed he was struggling with tiredness after coming directly from a Zimbabwe series just a few hours ago. “I wish I’d had two or three days off. I’m drowsy at the moment, but we’re ready and eager to kick-start well,” he explained.
Travel and scheduling issues
Rashid Khan too had expressed worries about the logistics, with Afghanistan’s opening encounter against Hong Kong lined up in Abu Dhabi even though the team will stay on in Dubai. “It’s not the best, but as professionals we need to make do,” he stated. “We just have to continue delivering 100 percent, irrespective of what is happening.”
Host nation in the limelight
The UAE, host nation in their first Asia Cup, will begin their campaign against India. The captain Muhammad Waseem expressed his team is keen to demonstrate that they are good enough at this level: “We have trained well and played good cricket in recent times. We will do our best against whoever we play India or Pakistan.”
Suryakumar Yadav also complimented the UAE side, acknowledging their recent performances against Pakistan and Afghanistan: “They are playing an exciting brand of cricket. It will be a good challenge.”
Local fan favourite
With a sizable number of Keralites in the UAE, India’s Sanju Samson has also drawn huge local attention. Queried if he would play, Yadav grinned and laughed in Hindi: “Aapko main playing XI message karta hoon” (I’ll message you the XI). He assured that Samson is being taken care of and decisions would be made for the good of the team.
In spite of the madness, Yadav downplayed India’s favourite tag: “Who said that? I haven’t heard it. We’re playing T20s after a long time, but we are well prepared.”
As the tournament progresses, the question lingers: will the Asia Cup 2025 go down in history for its competition as a whole or will the India-Pakistan clash continue to hog the spotlight?
