Pakistan's smooth victory over Sri Lanka in the 2025 Asia Cup has set the stage for an exciting final showdown. Speculations are rife about a potential India-Pakistan final. Meanwhile, Pakistani fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has taken aim at Suryakumar Yadav's statement, where Surya suggested that India-Pakistan matches should no longer be considered a rivalry due to India's dominance.
In a pre-match press conference ahead of the Super-4's last 'do or die' match against Bangladesh on Thursday, Afridi deflected questions about Suryakumar's statement. Afridi remarked, 'That's his opinion; let him express it. We'll see what happens when we meet (possibly in the final on Sunday). We are here to win the Asia Cup and are putting in all our efforts for it.' Afridi emphasized that neither India nor Pakistan has yet reached the final. If we face each other in the final, we will see then.
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What Suryakumar Yadav Said
Suryakumar opined that for any rivalry to be considered authentic, the results shouldn't be vastly one-sided, noting the current T20 head-to-head score between India and Pakistan is 12-3. Both teams have faced each other twice in the ongoing tournament, with India securing straightforward victories each time.
It's worth noting that Team India defeated Pakistan in both the group stage and Super-4 matches of the Asia Cup. Both encounters were marked by intense competition.
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Afridi's Take on Rauf and Farhan's Celebration
During the match against India, the aggressive celebration by Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan caught attention. Afridi commented, 'There's no specific plan to be aggressive. We've always played with aggression since we started playing cricket. This is how the game is played, and it keeps the team's morale high.'
