3 things to look forward to in India's Asia Cup 2025 clash vs Pakistan ft. Varun Chakaravarthy's redemption

India and Pakistan are all set to face off in Match 6 of the 2025 Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 14. The Men in Blue are currently at the top of the Group A standings, while their arch-rivals aren't far behind in second place.

This India vs Pakistan clash might not have a big outcome on the course of the tournament, with both teams expected to comfortably make it out of the group stage. However, as always, it promises to be an enthralling contest.

India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

On that note, here are three things to look forward to in Match 6 of the 2025 Asia Cup between India and Pakistan.

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#3 Varun Chakaravarthy will face Pakistan for the second time in his T20I career

India v United Arab Emirates - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

For the first time since the 2021 T20 World Cup, Varun Chakaravarthy will face off against Pakistan in a T20I game. A lot has changed for both the Men in Green as well as the spinner.

Varun, who went for 0/33 in that clash and was dropped from the side soon after, has emerged as one of the world's best spinners in the shortest format. Pakistan, meanwhile, haven't been on the rise, with a series of disappointing results across the last few years.

Varun, who is at the top of his game, will have a shot at redemption. Unfairly scapegoated for his performance in 2021, the spinner is en route to fulfilling his potential.

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#2 India will play Pakistan with their new-look T20 batting approach for the first time

India v England - 5th T20I - Source: Getty

Even in the 2024 T20 World Cup, India have their current T20 approach. The appointment of Gautam Gambhir as coach and Suryakumar Yadav as captain have made the Men in Blue go all guns blazing from the very first ball.

Players like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav have bought into that philosophy. Others like Tilak Varma have benefited as well, with India establishing themselves as one of the world's foremost attacking sides in the format.

The exciting batting lineup - and approach - will encounter the high-stakes cauldron that is an India vs Pakistan game for the first time. There won't be many changes to the strategy, so how they fare will be a massive storyline in the 2025 Asia Cup.

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#1 Does an India vs Pakistan clash need any other storylines?

India v Pakistan - ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 - Source: Getty

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have heightened in recent times, and things certainly aren't well off the field. It's a slight surprise that the 2025 Asia Cup clash is even happening, and both teams will want to ensure that they don't finish the day on the losing day.

An India vs Pakistan clash doesn't need any other storylines to make it interesting. The mere participation of the two countries, combined with all the off-field talk and discourse that accompany it, is more than enough to make it one of the most-watched events on the cricketing calendar.

And irrespective of what happens off the field, India and Pakistan have generally managed to produce quality cricket on it. In a tournament where there's a big gulf between some teams and the rest, that will be a welcome sight.

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Edited by Sai Krishna