India bowl, bring in Rinku for Hardik

India will nurse a significant loss with Hardik Pandya missing the final of Asia Cup 2025 with a quad niggle. The team management didn't seem to mind the bowling they will miss out on as they replaced his all-round skills with one of their finishers - Rinku Singh. They'll need to walk that talk early doors after choosing to bowl. Suryakumar Yadav explained the decision by saying the pitch, which has only been used two times in the last three weeks, gets better under lights.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha didn't mind batting first, saying that's what they've done all tournament. He admitted that his side hasn't put on the perfect game yet but was excited to do so in the final when everything is on the line. The two teams have already met twice in the tournament, with India winning both games comfortably.

India made three changes in total with Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh making way for Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube. But without their key allrounder, who balances the XI, India go into this one slightly handicapped. Dube, one of only five recognised bowling options, might be called on to take the new ball with Bumrah.

The formalities at the toss required two people this time - Ravi Shastri and Waqar Younis. Shastri interviewed Suryakumar and shook hands. Waqar interviewed Agha and shook hands. The Indian team so far has refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts in this Asia Cup after increased political tensions between the two countries.

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed