The Asia Cup 2025 final may be decided by the powerplay overs, according to former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra. He said that if India dominates with the new ball, they may essentially win the match. On Sunday, September 28, the Men in Blue will play Pakistan in the championship match in Dubai.
The two teams will face each other for the third time throughout the competition. India defeated the team captained by Salman Ali Agha by six wickets in the Super Fours and seven wickets in the group stage. Chopra pointed out that if Suryakumar Yadav‘s team does well in the powerplay, they could dominate the summit match. He also cautioned that a slow or uninteresting start would make it difficult for Pakistan to bounce back.
“Control the game by winning the powerplay. You would be in a very excellent position if you close the game right at the top against Pakistan, unlike many other matches where you have to close the game later. From our point of view, even if the powerplay is poor, we should be able to figure it out. As you can see, we struggled with the ball in our powerplay against Sri Lanka, but India rallied later. But Pakistan will not be able to accomplish that. In a video posted to his YouTube account, Chopra stated, “Pakistan is all about how they start.”
“I hope Hardik is healthy enough to play in the final Asia Cup 2025.”
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster also brought up Saim Ayub’s and Pakistan’s captain’s dismal batting performance. Additionally, Chopra stated that it may be game, set, and match if India can take one or two early wickets. Finally, the Agra native hoped Hardik Pandya would be fit for the final and pushed star pacer Jasprit Bumrah to have an impact with the new ball.
“This club won’t be able to bounce back if you stop them in the powerplay. Saim Ayub has reportedly stopped eating eggs for breakfast because he has already scored so many. He therefore wishes to avoid them. Salman Ali Agha has been observed having a lot of difficulties. “They probably don’t have that much experience and expertise either, and the batting has been a little erratic,” Chopra added.
Chopra added that if India avoids taking early wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 final, Shaheen Shah Afridi and the other Pakistani bowlers would be left in the dark.
In the Super 4 match, the openers scored 69 runs in six overs while chasing a target of 172, while the Men in Blue scored 61 for 2 in the first six overs while chasing 128 in the group stage.
Shaheen Afridi’s performance has somewhat improved if you don’t give them wickets right away, but if you don’t give him wickets with the new ball, things go south for him. Then, not only does he not grasp what needs to be done, but the entire Pakistani team does as well. The major narrative, then, is winning the powerplay and the match,” Chopra said.
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