 "India vs Pakistan match in Asia Cup 2025 group stage has been scheduled for 14 September. Image: Reuters")
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif did not sound too optimistic about his team’s chances against India in next month’s Asia Cup in the UAE citing the team’s poor run in recent assignments and calling for an overhaul not just in the team’s execution but also in their mindset.
India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group in the Asia Cup, which returns to the T20 format this year, along with Oman and the UAE and the arch-rivals could face each other two more times after their initial meeting in Dubai on 14 September , given the format of the tournament.
“It will be very tough for Pakistan to play against a strong Indian side on September 14. Asia Cup ho jaye bas (hope the Asia Cup goes ahead somehow),” former wicket-keeper Latif told news agency IANS.
“Humari cricket hawa may chal rhi hai (our brand of cricket is inconsistent)… We lost to Bangladesh and the West Indies — matches we should never have lost. Our captain might be good, but juggling all three formats is not easy. We have talent, but we are not making the right decisions yet,” he added.
India’s ruthlessness vs Pakistan’s inconsistency
The Men in Blue have been dominant in the T20 format, winning 24 out of 26 matches last year and handing England a 4-1 thrashing at home earlier this year. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been far from consistent in the shortest format, losing four out of seven bilateral series’ since their disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in the US and the Caribbean last year, including a 1-2 defeat in Bangladesh last month.
The Salman Agha-led side, however, regained some confidence ahead of the Asia Cup with a 2-1 victory over West Indies in the United States, sealing their victory with a 13-run win in the decider on Monday.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia and Pakistan had faced each other twice in the 2022 edition, the last time the continental event took place in the 20-over format. While India won the initial contest, Pakistan bounced back in the ‘Super Four’ stage, winning by five wickets and progressing to the final at the expense of their arch-rivals. Pakistan, however, would go on to lose the final against Sri Lanka by 23 runs.
Despite being placed in the same group, there are doubts as to whether the India-Pakistan match will even go ahead in light of the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam as well as the subsequent conflict between the two nuclear-armed nations that has resulted in a nosedive in diplomatic relations between the two neighbours