Sarandeep Singh backs India to outclass Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 final
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Take your experience further with Premium access. Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only BenefitsNew Delhi [India], September 28 (ANI): As India gears up to face arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final, former India cricketer Sarandeep Singh has expressed full confidence in Suryakumar Yadav's men, praising both the batting and bowling units for their form throughout the tournament.
"The way the Indian team is playing is phenomenal cricket, especially the batters we talked about--the new youngsters," Sarandeep said ahead of the big clash.
He reserved special praise for young opener Abhishek Sharma, who has been one of the standout performers of the tournament.
"The new superstar in our team is Abhishek Sharma... The way he's batting and hammering the fast bowlers and spinners of Pakistan is amazing," he remarked.
The former cricketer also lauded India's bowling attack, highlighting the contributions of senior pros.
"The team is also doing really well. We have fast bowlers like Bumrah (Jasprit) and Hardik (Pandya) performing strongly," Sarandeep noted.
"Things will be easier for India to win the game," he added with confidence.
Forty-one years have passed since the inaugural Asia Cup in 1984, and for the first time, India and Pakistan have reached the final together. In both encounters at the Asia Cup 2025, India has comprehensively defeated Pakistan.
Pakistan will walk into the clash as the underdogs, considering they have lost 12 out of their 15 T20I meetings against India. A series of ups and downs marked Pakistan's journey to the final. Skipper Salman Agha and his troops almost crashed out after Bangladesh had them in a corner during their Super Fours fixture. However, Pakistan dug deep and came from behind to conjure an 11-run victory to storm into the final.
Before the final, India had an injury scare with Abhishek Sharma and Hardik Pandya suffering from cramps during the final Super Fours contest against Sri Lanka. They spent the majority of the parts on the sidelines but have been declared fit before the rivalry clash.
India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan squad: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)
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