IND vs PAK: ‘Pakistanis are good players of spin but lack experience, will be challenging to face Kuldeep, Varun, Axar’

Team India started the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 with a comprehensive 9-wicket win in a mere 4.3 overs against UAE, a team ranked 19 places below the Men In Blue. A clear indicator of what a full-strength Indian team is capable of in T20I cricket. They are capable of completely dominating any opposition, in any conditions.

Ironically, a country that was hesitant to embrace T20 cricket has, over the last few years, become the supreme force in the shortest format of the game and is, once again, the hands-down favourite to win this edition of the Asia Cup. If Suryakumar Yadav and his boys do clinch the trophy this time, it will not only mean India successfully defending the title of Asian champions, but it will also make them Asia Cup winners for a record-extending ninth time.

Though there are as many as eight teams participating this time, which is the highest ever in the history of the tournament, the key clash that everyone is looking forward to is, of course, India vs Pakistan . With the 2025 edition having the Super Fours format ahead of the final, the two Asian powerhouses could clash as many as three times – something that everybody, from the broadcasters to the fans are hoping for of course. But Pakistan is not the same force in T20I cricket as they once were.

The 2009 world champions are ranked as low as 7th in the current ICC rankings. In their last 10 T20I bilateral engagements, the Men In Green have won four series, lost five and drawn one. Earlier this year, they lost a three-match series 1-2 to Bangladesh.

Team India, meanwhile, really have all the bases covered, especially in UAE conditions, thanks to their potent spin department, which boasts the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel. In their tournament opener, the Indian spin trio took 6 of the 10 UAE wickets.

So, can Pakistan really challenge an extremely strong Indian side? To talk about that and much more, including his take on the risk that a country like India runs of talented players falling through the cracks because of the sheer volume of T20I men’s talent that’s coming up through the ranks, we spoke exclusively to former India cricketer Ajay Mehra, who played for Punjab and Rajasthan in domestic cricket, in a career spanning 46 First Class matches and 13 List A games.

Mr Mehra, who has been a cricket commentator for many years now, has also covered matches in the UAE extensively and understands the conditions there very well.

This is part two of an exclusive interview with Ajay Mehra. Click here to read the first part .

You told me earlier how you are very happy with the Indian squad that has been picked and we saw how easily India won their first match. Your take on the fact that even someone like Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn’t find a place in the Asia Cup squad?

Ajay Mehra: I think he (Yashasvi Jaiswal) is a superb player but again – we have so much talent. As I said earlier, we have 30-35 players to choose from, so you do feel for someone like Shreyas Iyer (not in the Asia Cup squad), you feel for someone like (Yashasvi) Jaiswal because they are skilled players and it is tough. But at the end of the day, you have to pick a squad of 15 players and that is tough. Somebody has to miss the bus. I feel that Yashasvi, the kind of player he is, he will surely be coming back into the side. He just has to become very, very consistent. But he is a fantastic player. I (also) feel for Shreyas Iyer. He has really improved his game in all formats.

He (Iyer) is a quality player. He plays domestic cricket also very seriously. I just love the way he goes about his business. So, these two players (Yashasvi and Shreyas) are unlucky, but you also have to understand that when you are a selector, it’s not easy to pick from a pool of 30-35 players. But, at the end of the day, somebody will be missing the bus.

A word now on Abhishek Sharma, who already has two T20I centuries and a strike-rate of almost 195. In the first match vs the UAE in the ongoing Asia Cup, he smashed a 16-ball-30 after, as expected, opening the innings with Shubman. He is being talked about as one of the most exciting players to watch out for. Your take on that…

Ajay Mehra: He (Abhishek Sharma) is a class-act. The more I see him and what he has done so far – the composure, the stroke-play that he has. And when you have players like Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma opening the innings, a left-right handed combination – that makes a big difference as well. Add to that the fact that he (Abhishek) is also a superb fielder and he can always be asked to chip in with a few overs – he might not bowl a full quota of 4 overs, but just fill in for someone else who has been expensive – he is a very handy cricketer, a captain’s delight.

The kind of start and impetus that he can provide up the order is phenomenal. We have seen him in the IPL – the way he batted with Travis Head (for SRH) – he has been superb and he is one man the Indian team will be hoping can deliver the goods in the Asia Cup as well.

What about the other players? Who, would you say, should the fans watch out for the most in the batting and bowling departments for Team India this time in the entire tournament? Who can be the big impact players?

Ajay Mehra: There are Shubman and Abhishek up top. I feel the skipper as well is someone fans should watch out for and also Tilak Varma, who has been phenomenal. He is a superb player according to me. Another good thing for the Indian side is the kind of all-rounders we have. I always felt that with Shubman Gill opening the batting, Sanju should be in the line-up down the order (Samson was slotted to bat at number 5 in the first match vs the UAE and was the designated keeper).

In the bowling department, keep your eyes on someone like Varun Chakravarthy (took 1/4 vs the UAE). There is of course Bumrah and we all know what he can do. But in the spin department – watch out for Varun Chakaravarthy.

Let’s talk a bit about Pakistan now. They are likely to be the toughest opposition for India. They of course have a new-look top order with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan still out. What do you make of the composition of their squad and do you realistically see as many as three matches between India and Pakistan?

Ajay Mehra: Yes, it could be possible. For Pakistan, with their new faces, the pressure is going to be different and I think their selectors have done a good job. You need to have youngsters who have done well at the domestic level. I was having a chat with a few former Pakistan players recently and they also felt that, especially in T20I cricket, you have to give youngsters opportunities and this is the right time. I think they have seen enough of Babar (Azam) and (Mohammad) Rizwan. Of course, both of them are quality players, but the results weren’t coming for Pakistan in the T20I format.

So, it is a very young side, but a quality side. I was seeing their match against Afghanistan recently (in the tri-series in the UAE) and they have some good inclusions in the spin department (between all-rounders and specialist bowlers, Pakistan have fielded four spinners in their squad, including captain Salman Agha). But overall, if one has to compare, I feel India will really dominate Pakistan. Just the kind of experience and talent that Team India has, I think they will dominate Pakistan. But then again, it is cricket, so we will have to wait and see.

However, considering the matches will be played in the T20I format, is it tougher to pick India as the outright favourite in their clash/clashes against Pak, even though Pakistan are ranked 7th and India 1st in the ICC T20I team rankings currently?

Ajay Mehra: Yes, I think so. Also, a team like Afghanistan – they are no pushovers. They are a quality side. They have some fantastic spinners and that is their biggest strength and like I mentioned earlier, in the Asia Cup this time, the spinners will play a big role for their teams.

India has so much talent in the T20I format currently. Do you think, though, that there is a bit of a fear that some players might fall through the cracks - especially those who don’t have regular glamorous performances but are very talented?

Ajay Mehra: Yes, it has happened. You have so many choices that that is bound to happen. This is the reason why when you are playing at that level, you have to perform. The good thing is that players are given a fair run. I think that is exactly what Gautam Gambhir (India Head coach) has been trying to do. We saw something similar in England in the recent Test series – a lot of players getting opportunities. And that is a good thing. The kind of back-up options you have when you are playing in the big arenas, against quality sides, in big tournaments, there will be players who will fall through the cracks, which is why the players have to grab the opportunities that come their way.

What can the BCCI and the selectors look at doing to ensure that all of India’s T20I talent is utilised and none of it is wasted? Since we have so many players vying for so few spots, do you think, depending on the tournaments/bilateral series that are being played, perhaps completely different squads can be picked?

Ajay Mehra: I think that is what the selectors have been trying to do. For various series, the key players are rested, but for the important series you have to make your key players play. For big tournaments like the Asia Cup or the World Cup, you need all your big guns playing. On this front, the BCCI has been doing a good job – rotation has been happening. Players are getting adequate rest, especially in the T20 format. If you see the last few series, a lot of new players have got opportunities, they have been given the India cap. We have seen that the players who perform really well in the IPL, in that high-pressure scenario, they are getting opportunities. And that is fair.

We know the kind of talent they have. The best thing for me is the kind of resources we have. We can have two or three different sides because of the kind of talent we have and that is really good for Indian cricket going into the future, but there will be players who will fall by the wayside, so you are right – the right talent has to be spotted and I think that is exactly what the Indian selectors have been doing.