The Asia Cup 2025, starting September 9, is already generating excitement, especially the India vs. Pakistan match. Pakistan has announced its team for the tournament, which will not include Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Furthermore, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be missing from the Indian team as they have retired from T20 cricket. While four major players are absent, the India-Pakistan match is still expected to be highly entertaining.
Rohit Sharma’s performance against Pakistan hasn’t been exceptional, whereas Virat Kohli has a strong batting record. Rohit has faced Shaheen Afridi in T20s for 16 balls, scoring only 12 runs and getting out twice. He has played only two balls against Haris Rauf and was dismissed without scoring.
Virat Kohli, however, has an outstanding record against Afridi, scoring 54 runs off 43 balls at a strike rate of 125.6 and an average of 54, with just one dismissal. Against Haris Rauf, he scored 38 runs off 28 balls at a strike rate of 135.7 without being dismissed. In T20 matches against Pakistan, Kohli has 492 runs in 11 innings with an average of 70.28. Rohit Sharma, in contrast, has struggled against Pakistan, scoring 127 runs in 11 innings with an average of 14.11.
Mohammad Rizwan has performed well against India, scoring 228 runs in five innings at an average of 57 in T20s. While Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer for India, Rizwan is at the top for Pakistan. Rizwan has scored 54 runs off 43 balls against Jasprit Bumrah, averaging 54, and has been dismissed once.
Babar Azam has scored 105 runs in five innings against India in the T20 format with an average of 26.25. His numbers against Jasprit Bumrah are not impressive, having scored only 22 runs off 39 balls against Bumrah in T20s.
Even with the absence of these four players, the India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 should be thrilling. The match is scheduled for December 14th in Dubai. Both teams have many exciting players. Pakistan features Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf, while India has Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.
Fakhar Zaman has 1949 runs in 97 matches with a strike rate of 131.77. Salman Ali Agha has 380 runs in 20 matches with an average of 27.14. Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken 104 wickets in 81 matches, and Haris Rauf has taken 120 wickets in 87 T20 matches.
Hardik Pandya has scored 1812 runs in 114 T20 matches with a strike rate of 141.67, and has 94 wickets. Suryakumar Yadav has 2598 runs in 83 matches with an average of 38.20. Jasprit Bumrah is a key bowler for India, with 89 wickets in 70 T20 matches. Mohammed Siraj will also be crucial, having taken 14 wickets in 16 T20 matches. An exciting contest is expected.