Last Updated:
Aakash Chopra highlights India’s need to dominate the powerplay against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final in Dubai, emphasising early wickets for victory.
Tilak Varma runs between the wickets as Pakistan’s Haris Rauf watches (Picture credit: AFP)
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra has said that while at times a team needs to close a game in the latter stages, India would need to close right at the beginning to gain an upper hand in the Asia Cup final against arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, September 28.
Sunday marks the third clash between India and Pakistan in this Asia Cup, with India having already defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the Group A game and six wickets in the Super 4s.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and his side would dominate the Asia Cup final if they get the upper hand in the powerplay.
“Win the power play and control the match. Many times you have to close the match later, but against Pakistan, you just close the game right at the top and if you do that, you will be in a very good space,” Chopra said.
“When I look at it from our perspective, it seems like we can figure out even if the power play isn’t good. If you see against Sri Lanka, our power play was not good with the ball, but India made a comeback after that,” Chopra said.
“However, Pakistan would not be able to do that. Pakistan is totally about how they start. If you stop them in the power play, this team would not be able to recover from there,” Chopra added.
The former Indian cricketer said that if India takes one or two early wickets, it could be game, set, and match.
“If you don’t give them wickets at the start, Shaheen Afridi’s performance has improved slightly, but if you don’t give him wickets with the new ball, his situation turns bad,” Chopra said.
“Then he (Afridi) does not understand what needs to be done and that isn’t just him, it is the entire Pakistan team. So, winning the power play and winning the match is the biggest story,” Chopra added.
September 28, 2025, 11:42 IST
Read More
