Former India cricketer Atul Wassan has expressed strong confidence that even India’s B team could comfortably defeat the current Pakistan side in the Asia Cup 2025. The high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. Wassan, a member of India’s 1990-91 Asia Cup-winning team, emphasized that the dynamics have changed drastically since the 1990s when Pakistan was considered a superior side. He said, “India’s B team will also beat this Pakistan team because things have changed. When we played in the 90s, they were a very good side. Now the boot is on the other foot.”
The former India pacer also remarked on the absence of legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from T20 internationals following India’s T20 World Cup 2024 victory. “I will not miss Rohit (Sharma) and Virat (Kohli) because then I will start missing Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev also,” Wassan told CNN-News18.
He added, “The king is dead, long live the king. Things move, new superstars come in, and this embarrassment of riches… I feel sorry for the selectors because to keep everyone in the mix, it’s a tough job deciding who stays and who goes.”
Last Clash
India’s last encounter with Pakistan was in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, where Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century helped Rohit Sharma-led India defeat Pakistan by six wickets in a one-sided contest. With India’s dominant win against the UAE to open their Asia Cup 2025 campaign, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, confidence is high heading into the clash with Pakistan. After bowling out UAE for just 57 runs, India chased down the target in just 4.2 overs to register a dominant nine-wicket victory.
This encounter promises to be a fiercely contested battle of Asian cricket giants, carrying immense historic and political significance beyond the boundary. However, the Indian camp insists their focus is purely on cricket and performance, undeterred by off-field tensions.
India’s updated squad without Rohit and Kohli seeks to cement the next generation’s place on cricket’s biggest stages, facing Pakistan’s Salman Agha-led side with determination and high expectations ahead of the Asia Cup 2025.
Squads
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 Moqi
