India Elect to Bowl First Against Pakistan in Asia Cup Super Fours Clash

India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl first against Pakistan in the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup 2025, citing the presence of significant dew during training on the eve of the match as a key factor in the decision.

India have reverted to their first-choice playing XI for this high-stakes encounter. Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy return to the side, replacing Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, who featured in the match against Oman after India had already secured their Super Fours qualification. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel, who suffered a blow to the head in the same game, has been declared fit and retains his place in the side.

Pakistan, on the other hand, made two changes to their lineup following their defeat in the group-stage game against India where they had controversially chosen to bat first in conditions traditionally favouring bowlers. This time, they were denied the chance to rectify that decision as they lost the toss.

In an attempt to strengthen their seam-bowling allrounder options, Pakistan brought in Hussain Talat and Faheem Ashraf, dropping Hasan Nawaz and Khushdil Shah. Haris Rauf retains his place in the XI, with both Talat and Ashraf expected to contribute with both bat and ball.

Notably, there was no handshake at the toss between the two captains — Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha — or with the match referee, Andy Pycroft.

Playing XIs:

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Mohammad Haris (wk), Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.

With both teams eyeing a spot in the final, the stage is set for another gripping India-Pakistan encounter under the lights in Dubai.