Team India faces a massive challenge in the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been officially ruled out due to a quadricep injury, a significant blow confirmed by none other than former India coach and current commentator, Ravi Shastri, live on air.
Pandya’s presence in crunch situations has often turned the tide for India, making his absence particularly glaring. His impressive track record against Pakistan and his crucial contributions with both bat and ball leave a considerable void in the team’s dynamics for this marquee event.
The injury setback originated during India’s Super Four clash against Sri Lanka on Friday. Pandya, after making an early impact with a wicket in the very first over, was forced to leave the field and played no further part in the match.
Speculation surrounding his availability intensified as he was observed moving cautiously in trainers, accompanied by the team physio, just before the final. India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, ultimately confirmed the unfortunate news at the toss, stating, “Unfortunately, Hardik misses out due to a niggle.”
To compensate for Pandya’s absence, the team announced three changes to the playing XI. Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh were brought in, while Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana were left out.
The timing of this injury is truly frustrating, especially considering Pandya was just two wickets shy of reaching the prestigious 100-wicket milestone in T20 Internationals, a feat only one other Indian, Arshdeep Singh, has achieved in this format. In the ongoing Asia Cup, Pandya had already bagged four wickets across six appearances, maintaining an economy rate of 8.57.
India vs Pakistan Playing XIs:
Pakistan XI:
Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (captain), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
India XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy