The India-Pakistan match in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, scheduled for September 14, is highly anticipated. However, there’s a growing concern from the Pakistani side, particularly from former cricketer Basit Ali. He has openly expressed his worries and hopes that India withdraws from the match to avoid a potentially embarrassing result for Pakistan.
Ali’s comments are based on Pakistan’s recent performances, specifically their loss to the West Indies in a 2-1 ODI series. In the final match, Pakistan was unable to chase a target of 295, getting bowled out for 92. During an interview on ‘The Game Plan’ YouTube channel, Ali said, “I hope India refuses to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, just like they did in the World Championship of Legends. If that doesn’t happen, they will beat us so badly that you can’t even imagine.”
The host of the YouTube channel humorously remarked that Pakistan might struggle even against Afghanistan. Ali replied, “If we lose to Afghanistan, nobody cares. But if our team loses to India, there will be chaos in the country.”
The Asia Cup 2025 is set to begin on September 9. India and Pakistan have been placed in the same group. The squads for both teams are yet to be announced. Prior to the ODI series, Pakistan played a three-match T20 series against West Indies, which they won 2-1.
In the ODI series against West Indies, Salman Ali Agha was the top scorer for Pakistan in the last match, contributing 30 runs. However, the top order failed to perform, with key batsmen like Sam Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, and captain Mohammad Rizwan failing to score. Babar Azam scored just 9 runs. The performance of Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 will be closely watched.
India recently played a five-match Test series against England, ending in a 2-2 draw. The focus is now on India’s performance in the Asia Cup 2025, where they are considered favorites to win the tournament.