It’s India vs India once again on September 21st, a battle after such high drama in the last game with handshake snub and then taking thing to ICC. The spotlight will once again fall on Shaheen Afridi and Shubman Gill as India and Pakistan prepare for their much-awaited Asia Cup 2025 Super 4s clash on September 21 in Colombo. The two sides have already met once in the tournament, with India cruising to a seven-wicket victory. That match, however, was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding the post-game handshake snub, only intensifying the anticipation for Sunday’s showdown.
His Advice
Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has issued a strong piece of advice to Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi, urging him not to rely solely on yorkers when facing India’s vice-captain Shubman Gill. Akram believes Afridi needs to evolve his bowling approach and introduce a Plan B to outsmart well-prepared batters.
“That’s what I want Shaheen Afridi to do early on, because the whole world now knows the plan against him. They say, ‘Okay, he’ll be bowling yorkers first up.’ So Afridi needs to have a Plan B. This is the length he should be bowling,” Akram explained while speaking to broadcasters.
The former pacer further elaborated on why variation is crucial. “I’m fine with one-off yorkers, but not two or three consecutive ones, because if he misses even one, it’s going for a boundary with only two fielders outside the circle. He ends up putting pressure on himself. I know he thinks he’s being attacking and going for wickets, but mixing it up with length balls is better. One yorker, yes — but not straightaway, and not every ball,” Akram added.
The Battle
The battle between Gill and Afridi has become a contest of its own in recent encounters. Afridi, with his left-arm angle, has dismissed Gill twice with the new ball in ODIs, exploiting his ability to swing the ball away from the right-hander. With 275 international wickets to his name, Afridi has carved a reputation for rattling India’s top order in crunch games his iconic double strike against Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the 2021 T20 World Cup remains unforgettable.
For Gill, this weekend’s match will only be his second T20I against Pakistan, but expectations are high. Though India’s vice-captain has struggled so far in the Asia Cup scoring just 31 runs across three matches, including a mere 10 against Saim Ayub’s bowling he will be expected to stand up in this high-pressure clash. From Pakistan’s perspective, Afridi remains the biggest threat to India. In this edition of the Asia Cup, the left-arm quick has claimed three wickets in three matches and also contributed a vital 64 runs with the bat. But the real challenge for him comes with the new ball in hand against India’s star-studded batting order.
Gill, meanwhile, will be eager to find form and turn things around when the two arch-rivals collide. With the backdrop of their earlier encounter and the added spice of the handshake controversy, Sunday’s Super 4 battle promises drama, intensity, and another chapter in the Gill-Afridi rivalry that continues to capture the imagination of fans.
Asia Cup 2025: Teams qualified Super 4
India (From Group A)
Pakistan (From Group A)
Sri Lanka (From Group B)
Bangladesh (From Group B)
Asia Cup 2025: Super 4 Schedule
September 20: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh (B1 vs B2) – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 21: India vs Pakistan (A1 vs A2) – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 23: India/Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (A2 vs B1) – 7.30 p.m. – Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
September 24: India/Pakistan vs Bangladesh (A1 vs B2) – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 25: India/Pakistan vs Bangladesh A2 vs B2 – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 26: India/Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (A1 vs B1) – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
September 28. Final – 7.30 p.m.- Dubai Cricket Stadium, Dubai
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
