India are set to take on Pakistan in their second match of Asia Cup 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday. The high-octane encounter will be taking place at the same venue where India registered a record-breaking victory over United Arab Emirates in their campaign opener. Chasing a paltry target of 58 runs, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side reached home in his 4.3 overs. In that game, India played with just one pure pacer in Jasprit Bumrah, with Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube filling in for the other fast bowler's slot. Meanwhile, the side played three spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel. (Asia Cup 2025 LIVE Score: India vs Pakistan Live Updates | Follow here)
When asked about India's playing XI for the Pakistan game, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said that India are "unlikely to make changes" to the one that played against UAE.
"I don't think we gleaned too much information from that first game and even from the other games at the stadium so far. There hasn't been too much to take away from it. So unlikely to make changes. I think the sort of the biggest information takeaway is probably the difference from when we played here in the Champions Trophy. The wickets played a bit differently. but we feel the combination for the first game was a right setup," said Ryan ten Doeschate at the pre-match press conference in Dubai.
"I guess what you mean from three to seven, the batting position more than anything obviously, it wasn't revealed the other day with Sanju not batting but the overriding principle is that we want versatile players who can play differently in different situations but can also bat in different positions and I think we're very lucky with Sanju and Axar and even Hardik you know the guys who can bat anywhere from up the order all the way through to seven or eight. So, it will be part of our strategy to to use that versatility and when conditions are a little bit tough like we expect them to be I think that can be an important strategy for an advantage," he added.
While India outplayed UAE in their first game, Pakistan registered a 93-run victory over Oman.