IND vs PAK Toss Report, Asia Cup 2025 Final: India win the Toss and elect to Bowl First, Hardik Pandya OUT- Check Playing 11

IND vs PAK Toss, Playing 11 Update for Asia Cup 2025 Final: India captain Suryakumar Yadav opted to bowl first after winning the toss against Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on September 28, 2025 (Sunday).

After winning the toss, Suryakumar Yadav said: We will bowl first. It looks a good wicket. The wicket gets better under lights. We have been batting well first but we would like to chase today. The groundsmen have done a terrific job with the wickets here. The brand of cricket we have been playing for the last 5-6 games is pretty good. Unfortunately Hardik misses out with a niggle. Bumrah, Dube and Rinku come in.

Meanwhile PAK captain Salman Ali Agha said: Definitely happy to bat first. We are very excited and looking forward to this game. We haven't played a perfect game and hopefully we play one today. Same side. We have been playing on these pitches for a while and it will play the same.

India vs Pakistan Playing XI

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.

India vs Pakistan Pitch Report

It's no shock that India chose to bowl first. History is on their side-they've chased against Pakistan eight times and won on every occasion. The surface looks like a batting paradise: very little grass, flat, and likely to aid stroke play. The only concern is that it might slow down a touch as the game progresses due to the absence of grass. Interestingly, this is the same pitch used in both previous India-Pakistan clashes, where India successfully chased on each occasion.

A target of 170 in a final is equivalent to something around 180-190 in a league match. It may not guarantee victory, but it does allow the team batting first to apply scoreboard pressure. India, meanwhile, have bolstered their batting depth. The absence of Hardik Pandya, though, makes balancing the XI tricky. His all-round abilities give the side flexibility, and not having him leaves a noticeable gap.

India and Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Squads

India

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Kuldeep Yadav

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.