Two separate broadcasters were tasked with speaking to the two captains, Salman Ali Agha of Pakistan and Suryakumar Yadav of India, during the toss at the Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday. This was a rare instance in cricket, underlining the heightened tension between the two teams at the Asia Cup. India and Pakistan have faced each other twice in this edition of the tournament and this is the first time when the two are meeting in an Asia Cup final in 41 years, also marking their third meeting. had never played one another in an Asia Cup final before. India emerged victorious in both matches, crushing Pakistan by seven and six wickets respectively.
As per reports, two different broadcasters were chosen to participate in Sunday's toss after receiving advice from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which is led by Mohsin Naqvi, also the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri was there to address the Indian captain, while former pacer Waqar Younis stood by him to talk to Salman following the toss.
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Shastri led the toss presentation, introducing Waqar, the two captains, and Richie Richardson, the match referee. After winning the toss, Suryakumar chose to bowl first and approached Shastri to share team details.
Reigning champions India made three changes to their starting lineup for the final. Hardik Pandya was left out due to a niggle informed Suryakumar Yadav. The all-rounder had experienced cramps during the Super Four match against Sri Lanka, also forcing him to leave the field. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh were called in the playing XI. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were the other two players benched.
"It looks like a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights. We have been batting well first but we would like to chase today. The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here and it will stay the same. The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good and we would like to continue that," Suryakumar said after the toss.
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Salam then addressed Waqar, stating that he was pleased to set the target and bat first in the final. Pakistan's XI remained unchanged. "We are very excited and looking forward to this game. We haven't played a perfect game and hopefully we play one today," he said.
Suryakumar's refusal to appear with Salman in the traditional pre-final photo shoot with the Asia Cup trophy earlier in the evening was another indication of the growing animosity between the two teams. But Salman showed up and posed by himself. Later, while photographers documented the event at the toss, the two were spotted standing well away from the trophy.
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