In the ongoing 2025 Asia Cup, India will play their bitter rivals Pakistan in what is expected to be a thrilling matchup on Sunday (September 14). Both teams will compete for the top berth in Group A after winning their opening games, respectively.
In their first match, India easily defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 9 wickets. Kuldeep Yadav's 4-wicket haul helped India bowl out the UAE for 57 runs in 13.1 overs. All-rounder Shivam Dube took 3 scalps.
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Abhishek Sharma top-scored with a knock of 30 runs off 16 balls as India easily reached 60/1 in 4.3 overs while chasing their target of 58 runs.
On the other hand, despite a batting collapse, Pakistan defeated Oman by 93 runs. Both Faisal Shah and Aamir Kaleem of Oman were bowling well. Both players took three wickets each, but Mohammad Haris' 63 saved his team as they reached 160/7. Pakistan bowled out Oman for 67 in 16.4 overs, demonstrating their strong bowling attack.
Interestingly, when Pakistan play India, they traditionally rely on their bowling attack. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that India may face difficulties due to Pakistan's bowling strategy. Saim Ayub and Sufiyan Muqeem both claimed two wickets against Oman and posed a danger in the turning conditions.
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"I like this bowling combination because it’s India vs Pakistan, and I feel this attack might give the Indian batters something different to think about," Manjrekar said on Sony Sports Network.
"They’ve played Pakistan in world events before, but usually against a certain kind of attack. This is completely different — hardly any pace on show — and maybe Wasim [Akram] would hate it."
"Batting will need a little improvement against India, but credit to Mike Hesson for making the most of the resources he has. Saim Ayub has hardly bowled for Pakistan in the past, but under Hesson, he’s bowled in almost 90% of the innings. This shows a new approach, and that’s exciting because it’s refreshing to see Pakistan try something different," he added.
India leads Pakistan 10-3 in head-to-head matches in the Asia Cup.
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