Suryakumar Yadav stuns reporters with “Kisne Bola?” on India being Asia Cup favourites, while Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha warns no team is safe.
The conventional captains' press conference before the Asia Cup 2025 became interactive on Tuesday as India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha responded to queries on their teams' chances. As India came into the tournament with the tag of defending T20 World Cup champions, most anticipate them claiming supremacy. Yet, both captains dissented from the notion of calling any side clear favourites.
When a journalist made a remark that India were "favourites by a distance" to win the Asia Cup, Suryakumar Yadav responded with a clever and sharp retort.
"Kisne bola? Mene toh nahi suna," the Indian skipper cracked, getting the press room into splits. He further stated that practice, and not reputation, establishes a team's confidence before such tournaments.
Well, if your preparation is great then you are surely confident when you go out to field. Yes, we are playing after a while but we were present 3-4 days ago. We enjoyed ourselves as a team together. Looking forward to this tournament," he clarified.
Seconding Suryakumar's opinion, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha contended that the volatility of T20 cricket renders it impossible to label any team as favourite.
"T20 cricket mein lagta hai koi favourite nahin hai. Ek dauraan, aapko good cricket khelna padta hai. It's a quick game. A couple of overs can turn the tables," Salman remarked.
Pakistan came into the Asia Cup with a confidence-generating tri-series victory over UAE and Afghanistan. Salman, though, played down the victory, recalling that the Asia Cup is the ultimate test.
Previously, Salman had stated that tri-series victory will count for little if Pakistan did not deliver at the Asia Cup. Asked to explain himself, he replied tactfully
"Tri-series against AFG and UAE was always the preparation for Asia Cup. We had to win that tournament. If we did not win it, we still had to arrive here and win the Asia Cup," he declared.
As Asia's leading cricketing nations prepare to meet, both skippers underscored the importance of concentration, preparation, and flexibility over external expectations. As much as India's recent form positions them strongly in the limelight, Suryakumar and Salman both reiterated that performance on the given day will determine the fate in this high-intensity competition.
As the Asia Cup 2025 gets underway, the message from both sides is one and the same: there are no favorites in T20 cricket, only chances to grab under pressure.
