 "Not Hardik Pandya or Jasprit Bumrah: Irfan Pathan names India’s X-factor for Asia Cup 2025")
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared his views on India’s chances at the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 during a press conference on Tuesday, September 2. Speaking to the media, Irfan talked about various subjects, including India’s pace attack, Jasprit Bumrah’s workload controversy, and the team’s first choice for wicket-keeper.
Irfan Pathan picks India’s X-factor for Asia Cup
When asked by Firstpost about the player who could be India’s X-factor in the tournament, Irfan mentioned that big names like Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah , and Axar Patel will surely be crucial. However, he surprised many by picking mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy as the player to watch out for in the Asia Cup 2025.
“Apart from Bumrah, it’s very difficult to find another X-factor. Then there are two all-rounders - Hardik and Axar. You always think of all-rounders as X-factors because they can do two jobs. But I will be excited to see how Varun Chakravarthy performs, because it will be a bit of a redemption story for him,” Irfan said.
Irfan recalled Chakravarthy’s forgettable outing in the 2021 T20 World Cup, where India failed to reach the knockout stage and also lost their first-ever World Cup game to Pakistan. However, the 2007 T20 World Cup-winner added that the spinner is currently in solid form and can make a real impact this time around.
“In the 2021 T20 World Cup, I don’t think he did well. My focus will be on Varun Chakravarthy because he is in solid form right now and has a lot of confidence, so he can definitely bring that X-factor. If I have to pick from all the names I mentioned, I will go with Varun Chakravarthy because he is a bowler,” he added.
The Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28. India will begin their campaign against the hosts UAE on September 10. The blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 14. The tournament will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network in India. The live streaming will be available on SonyLIV.
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