India Choose to Bowl First Against Pakistan in the Blockbuster Asia Cup 2025 Final

India has decided to bowl first against Pakistan in the final of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025. They have made a notable change to the squad by bringing in Rinku Singh in place of Hardik Pandya. The star all-rounder of the team, Hardik Pandya, is on the bench due to some fitness concerns. Meanwhile, both Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube have come back to the squad by replacing Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh from the last game.

Pakistan team, on the other hand, is unchanged for the all-important final. They have kept the combination same, precisely to bring stability in the Playing XI. The green shirts would be feeling confident for this match, as they have come into the final by producing strong performances against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in successive Super Four clashes.

Pakistan team marched into the final after facing an early setback against India in the first Super Four clash. In that match, plenty of heated moments were seen between the players of both teams. Pakistan fought brilliantly in the last Super Four fixture against India. Their in-form batter Sahibzada Farhan made headlines by scoring a splendid fifty in the first innings. Unfortunately, he didn’t find much support from the middle order, as multiple batters lost their wickets quickly due to tight Indian bowling.

During the last match, the controversial third-umpire decision about Fakhar Zaman also became a hot talking point on social media. Many Pakistan ex-cricketers voiced their concerns about the decision. It became a point of frustration for Pakistan fans because Fakhar Zaman was playing remarkably well in that match.

Talking about the scorecard, Pakistan made a formidable score of 171 at the end of first innings. Sahibzada Farhan remained the star of the Pakistan batting, as he scored 58 off 45 balls by smashing 5 fours and 3 sixes. When India came out to bat in the second innings, they started strongly by taking down the Pakistan bowlers from the first over. The batting foundation was set up by Abhishek Sharma who gave India a very solid start in the Powerplay. His innings of 74 runs tilted the match in favor of India, as the men in blue chased down the Pakistani target in the penultimate over of the innings.

Pakistan team will now deploy some specific tactics against the Indian opening batting duo in today’s final. The green shirts have enough resources to topple anyone on the given day. They will rely on the known stars of the team including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf to deliver exceptional performances in today’s game.