New Delhi [India], September 14 : As India gears up to face Pakistan in their Group A Asia Cup encounter on Sunday in Dubai, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma backed the Men in Blue to come out on top.
"The Indian team is much better than the Pakistani team. I am sure that the Indian team is going to win this one. The Indian team is very balanced, and I extend my best wishes to the team," Sharma said.
Both teams are heading into the contest on the back of convincing wins in their respective openers. India dominated hosts UAE by nine wickets in their first match, while Pakistan outclassed Hong Kong China by 93 runs comfortably.
The result makes Sunday's encounter pivotal in the race to the Super Four. A win here not only brings bragging rights but also strengthens early qualification chances, according to Olympics.com.Currently the No. 1 men's T20I cricket team in the world, India is the reigning world and continental champions. They are also the most successful team in the Asia Cup history with eight titles.
Suryakumar Yadav is captaining a 15-member Indian Asia Cup 2025 squad in the UAE, with Shubman Gill serving as his deputy.
The squad also features in-form youngsters Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma, Indian Premier League stars Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma, and a potent bowling unit spearheaded by Jasprit Bumrah.
Seventh in the T20I rankings, the Pakistan cricket team has won the Asia Cup twice before and is looking for a third crown under the captaincy of Salman Ali Agha.
While Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been left out of the squad, the Pakistani team still boasts plenty of firepower across departments with the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Shah Afridi in the fray.
The India vs Pakistan rivalry has played out 13 times in the T20I format, with India leading 9-3. One of Pakistan's three wins came in the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai - their last victory over India in T20 cricket, according to Olympics.com.India beat Pakistan by six runs in New York the last time the two teams met at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Bumrah produced a magical spell to turn the match when Pakistan seemed like the clear favourites to pick up a victory.
On the Asia Cup stage, India and Pakistan have met 19 times across both ODI and T20I formats. India have won 10, Pakistan six and three matches were abandoned.
Squads:India: 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: 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.
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