New Delhi [India], September 27 (ANI): Former England spinner Monty Panesar has cautioned India not to be nonchalant about facing “dangerous” Pakistan, as the two teams gear up to clash in the Asia Cup 2025 final, scheduled to be played at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
In a rapid tournament like the Asia Cup, intense rivalries come thick and fast, resulting in a riveting affair. As a result, for three consecutive Sundays, India and Pakistan will be battling it out, but this time the stakes will be astronomical, considering the title will be on the line.
Unlike the previous two instances, the loser won’t see another day to fight for the coveted prize. Despite standing at the point of no return, India has been deemed the on-paper favourites to pip Pakistan and return home with the ultimate prize.
However, Panesar doesn’t see the final turning out as a one-sided showdown. With Pakistan having “nothing to lose”, the final could be the ideal platform where they deliver their best cricket to recreate the 2017 Champions Trophy final upset where India surprisingly perished by 180 runs.
“Yeah, Pakistan is a dangerous team. They have got nothing to lose. While playing in the final, they could play their best game of cricket, where India has performed the best throughout the tournament. They (India) need to be really mindful,” Panesar said while speaking exclusively to ANI.
In the previous two instances, India convincingly gunned down the target set by Pakistan. The huge chasm echoed with each passing moment and has contributed to establishing skipper Suryakumar Yadav and his troops as the hot favourites.
Panesar acknowledged that even though Pakistan is chasing shadows of its lost glory, the Men in Green still possess the ability to trounce the world champions, if India becomes careless.
“Pakistan is probably not as strong as it used to be, but on its day, it could still beat India. They have to be careful not to become too complacent about their performances,” he concluded.
India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)
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