Suryakumar Yadav skips pre-final photoshoot ahead of India vs Pakistan Asia Cup clash see how Pakistan captain responded.
Ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 final, tensions and anticipation are building up for the high-profile India-Pakistan clash. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has made himself unavailable for the traditional pre-final photo shoot with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha, a decision which has been in the spotlight going into the title-decider.
Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha established the tone for his team before the final, accepting the pressure of playing against India, who have already defeated Pakistan twice in the tournament – once in the group stages and then in the Super 4s.
Salman said, "We will win. Our effort is to play our best cricket. And we are confident that if we play our best cricket and fulfill our plans for 40 overs, then we can defeat any team."
Sensing the odds and the head-to-head advantage in favor of India, Salman is still hopeful that Pakistan can win the title by keeping errors to a minimum and concentrating on carrying out their strategies.
When questioned regarding Suryakumar Yadav's opting out of the pre-final photoshoot, Salman showed no surprise. "It is totally in his hands, whether he wants to turn up or not. I can't do anything there," he said.
Yadav had earlier tried to diminish the rivalry, pointing towards India's much better head-to-head record over Pakistan in the Asia Cup. His move justifies keeping spotlight on cricketing performance and not on ceremonial rituals.
Salman underlined that the team committing fewer errors is most likely to win the final. "There is immense pressure on Pakistan and India, and if we take it that there is no pressure, then it is not correct. However, yes, we made more errors than they have done, and that's the reason we haven't won matches. I believe in the match between India and Pakistan, the team which makes less errors will win the match," he said to the journalists.
He further added that although winning the toss has favored teams in the competition in the past, it will not be the case for the final. Strategy implementation and regular play will be the determinants of the win.
Salman finished off, "The toss is not with you. So when you see it, you don't make a team or a strategy. We all understood that we have not done such batting in this tournament, so it may be that we have placed our bets for the final, and God willing, the best will emerge."
