Asia Cup: India-Pakistan match today, captain Surya to make major changes; this could be India-Pakistan’s playing 11

Dubai. India and Pakistan are set to clash today (September 21) in the blockbuster match of the Asia Cup 2025. This Super Four match will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, starting at 8:00 PM IST. This is the second time India will face Pakistan in the current tournament. Last Sunday, September 14, when the two teams met, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team secured a resounding seven-wicket victory.

Cricket fans are keenly watching the playing 11s for both teams for this epic match. The playing 11s will be revealed only after the toss. However, two changes to the Indian team are expected. Star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy were rested for the match against Oman.

Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy are likely to play in this match. Consequently, fast bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana may be ruled out. Harshit and Arshdeep participated in the match against Oman, while they did not get a chance in the group matches against Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Indian team’s starting combination will be as follows:
The Indian team is expected to field four specialist batsmen, two batting all-rounders, one wicketkeeper, one spin-bowling all-rounder, two specialist spinners, and one specialist fast bowler in this crucial match against Pakistan. In addition to Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Rinku Singh are also likely to be out of this match.

On the other hand, after losing to India in the group match, the Pakistani team made two changes against Oman. Fast bowler Haris Rauf and batting all-rounder Khushdil Shah were included in the playing XI, while wrist spinner Sufyan Muqeem and bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf were not included in the squad. It remains to be seen whether the Pakistani team will retain the playing XI they fielded against Oman.

Eye on Hardik Pandya and Sanju Samson
Team India has an excellent record in T20 Internationals against Pakistan. The Indian team has won 11 of the 14 T20 Internationals against the neighboring country, losing three. If Sanju Samson scores 83 runs in this match, he will become the 12th Indian batsman to reach 1,000 runs in T20 Internationals. All-rounder Hardik Pandya is just four wickets away from reaching 100 wickets in T20 Internationals.

India’s probable playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dubey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.

Pakistan’s probable playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed.