Unpredictable Pakistan fancy chances vs formidable India in Asia Cup final

History is on the cusp of making it as favourites and formidable India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their first-ever Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday.

Overall, this will be the sixth time that the two sides will face off in the final of a tournament, featuring more than five teams, and the first one since the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. Pakistan have better head-to-head record of 3-2.

Defending champions India have come into the final unbeaten on the back of six victories while Pakistan had to play a virtual semi-final against Bangladesh to seal their berth.

Pakistan had to labour for hard–fought victories against Lanka and Bangladesh but they lost twice only in the whole campaign, that too against India.

Pakistan have the uncanny habit of springing a surprise, especially when they have been written off since 1992 World Cup. They are the most unpredictable side in modern day cricket.

In recent years, Pakistan's losing record against India stands at 15-2 -- ODIs and T20s -- put together. In T20, India have won 12 out of 15 matches, in the last nine games it is 7-2. In the last six ODIs, India won 5 while one was tied. Pakistan have not defeated India since 2018 in ODIs.

This is their last chance to salvage some pride. But for that, they have to plug many holes.

They have not been able to click as a team. Sometimes their batting faltered, on other occasions they were let down by their bowlers. Their biggest worry is the opening partnership.

Saim Ayub has become addicted to getting out for a duck. He scored five ducks in the last seven innings and four in the tournament. He has scored 23 runs in six innings, with 21 coming in one match against India.

He has retained his place in the team by picking up wickets. He is among the highest wicket-takers with eight scalps. He can make way for Kushdil with Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan opening the innings.

Their bowling looks strong with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf taking three wickets each against Bangladesh in a low-scoring match. Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz are taking good care of spin department. Fakhar Zaman and Hussain Talat are good all-rounders who can chip in with useful contributions and take wickets when needed.

Shaheen can come up with a magic spell, which he is known for. He did it once against India in Dubai, dismissing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the first over at the 2021 T20 World Cup. It helped Pakistan beat India for the first time in a men's World Cup game.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha vowed to play with aggression in the final.

"If someone wants to be aggressive on the ground, then why not," Agha said.

"If you deprive a fast bowler of their aggression, then what's left? Every player knows how to deal with their emotions. I give players freedom to react the way they want to. As long as they're not disrespecting anyone and stay within the limit, I have no issues with that," he added

Meanwhile, India will bank on openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill to give them a blitzkrieg start. The opening duo has been consistent on the top. They added 105 against Pakistan and 77 versus Bangladesh.

Abhishek is in blistering form as he smashed back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. He is also the highest scorer with 309 runs under his belt.

 India has no major concerns. All their boxes are ticked and all players are delivering with the bat and ball. India’s only area of concern is skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s form.

He has scored 0, 5 and 12 in his last three innings at the Asia Cup. In ten innings he has managed just 99 runs with three ducks, while striking at 110.

His only significant contribution at the Asia cup was against Pakistan, an unbeaten 47 in the group game. Even a second-string Indian team is no match for the opponents; it was apparent when they tested their bench strength in a few matches.