India will lock horns with Pakistan for the third time in this 2025 edition of the Asia Cup. The final will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 28.
As India looks to extend their Asia Cup record by clinching a ninth title, questions continue to swirl over Arshdeep Singh's place in the main playing XI.
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Arshdeep is India's highest wicket-taker in the T20I format, but his opportunities have been limited recently. Although has made the most of those chances, establishing himself as a match-winner in pressure situations, particularly in the death overs.
However, India’s decision to go with a spin-heavy attack and a deeper batting line-up in the UAE meant that he could be left out of the final playing XI.
Reflecting on the situation, former India pacer Irfan Pathan has weighed in on the ideal playing XI for the match against Pakistan.
Irfan Pathan suggests dropping Dube for Arshdeep in IND vs PAK final
Arshdeep stepped up against Sri Lanka on Friday night and helped India restrict them to 202. The match ended in a tie despite Pathum Nissanka's blistering 107(58) in the Super Four clash.
The Punjab pacer's 19th over was crucial in this regard. He conceded only a single boundary with the set-batter Nissanka on the strike and he followed that up by restricting the Lankans to just two runs in the Super Over.
Looking at his potential impact, Pathan heaped praise on the Arshdeep's temperament and backed him for a permanent spot in the team.
"Firstly, he is like ice under pressure -- he always asks for the ball whenever it is the death overs and he has to deliver the yorkers. He is ready to bowl the yorkers and work side by side with Bumrah. I am saying this since day 1 that he needs to be in the playing XI because there are situations when you need yorkers from both ends, like today [vs Sri Lanka]" he told Sony Sports Network.
"The team wants a deeper batting lineup, which is why Shivam Dube is playing as a batting all-rounder and Arshdeep is unable to find a place, but I will always have him in my team," Irfan added.
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What is India's win streak with Shivam Dube in the playing XI?
Interestingly, India has not lost a single match since December 8, 2019, when Dube was part of the playing XI in T20Is. The team boasts a record of 33 consecutive wins, including four Super Over finishes.
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied/NR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 32 | 2 | 4*/2 |
*All 4 super overs won by India.
India's last defeat with Dube featuring in the playing XI came against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, when the visitors chased down the target of 171 runs in 18.3 overs.
READ MORE: What is India's H2H record vs Pakistan in tournament finals?
What is India's possible playing XI for Asia Cup final?
Despite grabbing his opportunity and delivering a great Super Over, it is unlikely that India would change much in their original playing XI, which has played all the important matches in the tournament so far.
Dube and Bumrah are likely to return to the XI in place of Harshit Rana and Arshdeep. At the same time, India will keep a close eye on Hardik Pandya's fitness as we await the latest injury update.
India's possible XI: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vc), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
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