Raj Kumar Sharma, father of Indian opener Abhishek Sharma, expressed his pride and hope before the Asia Cup final against Pakistan.
He emphasized that the better team will win and hopes for India’s success. India faces their long-time rivals, Pakistan, in today’s Asia Cup 2025 final at the Dubai International Stadium.
Speaking to ANI, Raj Kumar Sharma remarked, “The better team will win. We hope India triumphs and everyone performs excellently. Abhishek is ready to give his best. It’s a proud moment for us that our son plays for the nation. We’ve instilled in him that the country always comes first.”
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This marks the first-ever Asia Cup final between India and Pakistan in the tournament’s 41-year history, adding to the excitement. India has already beaten Pakistan twice in this year’s Asia Cup.
Abhishek Sharma has been the standout batter of the tournament. He scored his third consecutive fifty in the Asia Cup, dominating Sri Lanka in the Super Four game on Friday with a stunning 61 off 31 balls, including eight fours and two sixes, striking at a rate of 196.77.
Janardan Yadav, uncle of Kuldeep Yadav, expressed confidence in India’s chances in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan, praising their tournament performance.
“Best wishes to the team. India has played excellently throughout. They should win today. However, caution is needed as Pakistan, having lost two matches, may be better prepared. Regardless of Kuldeep Yadav’s wickets, we hope they benefit the team… We will talk to him post-match,” Janardan Yadav told ANI.
Kuldeep Yadav has impressed, using his variations to outsmart batters, currently leading the wicket-takers’ list with 13 in six matches and an economy of 6.05.
Rinku Singh’s coach, Masooduz-Zafar Amini, told ANI, “This will be a high-stakes match. Indian players have been performing well. India will surely win… The actions by Pakistanis in the last match were inappropriate.”
India dominated their group stage match against Pakistan, securing a seven-wicket victory with Kuldeep Yadav’s 3/18. In the Super 4s, Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 74 off 39 balls crushed Pakistan’s bowling, leading India to a decisive six-wicket victory.
Indian squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
