India and Pakistan are set to meet each other on the cricket field once again, this time with the backdrop of controversy and tension heightened between the two teams.
The highly-anticipated clash is set to go ahead on September 14 despite several question marks hanging over whether or not the Asia Cup would go ahead. However, as the date approaches, the focus quickly shifts more and more towards the cricket itself.
With both teams having announced their squads and preparations now in full flow for the Asia Cup, fans and players of both countries will have pencilled in that date as the one to watch out for. This match in Dubai will be the focus, but there is also a strong chance that the two old rivals will face off in the tournament’s Super Four stage, barring any huge upsets.
With two India-Pakistan matches on the horizon, fans of both countries are certainly looking forward to earning bragging rights, with the Asia Cup having hosted much of Pakistan’s recent success against India. During a training session ahead of Pakistan’s tri-series against Afghanistan and UAE, star pacer Haris Rauf was asked by a fan what he expected from the set of matches against India.
“Dono apne hai, inshallah,” replied Rauf to the fan’s enquiry, which translates to ‘both are ours, god be willing’.
First India vs Pakistan men’s contest since Operation Sindoor
The pacer’s confidence in his team’s chances are clearly high: the last time India and Pakistan met in the Asia Cup in the T20I format did see a win for Pakistan in the Super Four of the 2022 tournament, and Pakistan will be hoping for a repeat. However, India have since tasted major victories over the rivals in the T20I World Cups of 2022 and 2024.
This is the first match between these two fierce old rivals since the border tensions escalated and created the conflict earlier this year in the wake of the Pahalgam attacks. Those terrorist strikes along India’s frontier and the response via Operation Sindoor put a strain on already-tense India-Pakistan relations, and was expected to affect things on the sporting front as well.
However, the Asia Cup is set to go ahead due to its status as a third-party tournament taking place in a neutral venue in the UAE. The teams continue to avoid any bilateral engagements, and also saw their match in the World Championship of Legends cancelled after several Indian former players refused to participate.