When contemplating Pakistan’s chances of defeating Suryakumar Yadav and company in Sunday’s Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Shoaib Akthar made a mistake by referring to the in-form Indian opener Abhishek Sharma as Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.
Salman Ali Agha’s team could put pressure on India’s middle order if they get rid of Abhishek Bachchan early, according to former Pakistan bowler Shoaib Akthar.
The blunder lent a humorous element to the build-up to the heated encounter, even though it was obvious that he was referring to Abhishek Sharma.
In a fictitious scenario, what would happen to the middle order if Pakistan were to remove Abhishek Bachchan early on? Their middle-order has not been very effective. The host and the other panellists were inconsolable about this error.
Abhishek Bachchan noticed this situation and responded to a tweet by acknowledging that although he may not be a very good cricket player, the Pakistani squad will not be able to remove him.
Sir, with all due respect… don’t think they’ll even manage that! And I’m not even good at playing cricket. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/kTy2FgB10j
— Abhishek 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧 (@juniorbachchan) September 26, 2025
In the 2025 Asia Cup, India and Pakistan had already faced each other twice. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium hosted both games. In a group-stage match, the Men in Blue won by seven wickets over Pakistan. India defeated the Men in Green by six wickets in the Super Fours.
After defeating Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours, Pakistan advanced to the summit match. In contrast, India has won five straight games and is undefeated in the competition.