India has been dealt a significant blow just before their high-stakes Asia Cup 2025 final against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium this Sunday. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has officially been ruled out of the championship match.
Pandya, renowned as one of India’s most impactful players in high-pressure situations, boasts an impressive record against Pakistan and was a crucial part of the team’s strategy. Concerns about his fitness emerged during India’s Super Four clash with Sri Lanka on Friday. He bowled the first over, took a wicket, but then left the field and did not return.
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Speculation surrounding his condition intensified on match day when Hardik was seen entering the ground with the team physio, without his usual spikes, moving noticeably carefully. At the toss, skipper Suryakumar Yadav regretfully confirmed the team’s worst fears.
“Unfortunately, Hardik misses out due to a niggle,” Surya said, while announcing India’s decision to bowl first. He also confirmed that Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana would sit out, making way for Jasprit Bumrah, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh. Yadav expressed confidence in the team, adding, “The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good, and we would like to continue that.”
The timing of Pandya’s injury is particularly unfortunate, as the all-rounder was on the brink of a historic milestone. With 98 wickets from 120 T20Is, he was just two dismissals shy of becoming only the second Indian bowler, after Arshdeep Singh, to reach 100 wickets in the T20 format. In this Asia Cup, Pandya had already secured four wickets in six games with an economy rate of 8.57.
India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel had disclosed on Saturday that both Pandya and opener Abhishek Sharma had experienced cramps during the Sri Lanka match. While Abhishek was declared fit, Hardik required further assessment.
With Pandya’s absence, India faces a significant challenge in maintaining their team balance, affecting both their batting depth and their crucial seam-bowling options.
India Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (w), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
Pakistan Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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