Abhishek 2, Afridi 0 - the duel that could decide the Asia Cup final

Abhishek Sharma has been India's spark plug at the Asia Cup, his fearlessness in the powerplay providing his team enough momentum to make up for the rustiness in the middle order.

The 25-year old is on a hot-streak of back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; each of those innings so devastating that it deflated the opposition. His consistency - he made thirties in three matches preceding the half-centuries - is an upgrade on his previous hit-or-miss aggression.

Shaheen Shah Afridi is also 25, though he has been around for much longer than his opponent on Sunday. He's been successful against every team at this Asia Cup except India, against whom he's bled 63 runs for no wicket in 5.5 overs across two games. In his two previous matches leading into Sunday's final - both must-win fixtures for Pakistan - he took six wickets, having rediscovered the magic that made him new-ball royalty.

Once renowned for his ability to strike in the first over of a T20, Afridi has come under attack from Abhishek. In their first meeting on September 14, Abhishek charged at Afridi first ball and hit a full toss back over his head. The next one disappeared over extra cover for six. Abhishek scored 31 off 13 balls, taking a sizeable chunk extremely quickly out of the target of 128.

The sequel had even more heat in the wake of handshake-gate. Words were exchanged and Afridi's temper frayed. When wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris suggested standing up to the stumps - to prevent Abhishek from stepping out - Afridi waved him away, his frustration visible. The first ball was a bouncer with a fine leg on the boundary; Abhishek hooked him for six right there anyway.

After the first two bouts, the scoreline is 2-0 to Abhishek, his head to head with Afridi reading 31 runs off 14 balls with three sixes and two fours. For the India opener, round three on Sunday is perhaps his most high-pressure game yet.

He did play the IPL 2024 final, when he ran into Mitchell Starc who, despite struggling for most of the season, produced a six-ball burst that proved too good for Abhishek and Sunrisers Hyderabad. It's that kind of big-match impact Pakistan hope Afridi will be able to summon too.

Afridi did it once against India right here in Dubai, dismissing Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul with lethal inswing in the first over of their encounter in the 2021 T20 World Cup. It helped Pakistan beat India for the first time in a men's World Cup game.

Since then, Afridi has struggled against India. At the MCG in 2022, he came under Virat Kohli's wheel. At the 2023 ODI World Cup, Afridi dismissed Shubman Gill in Ahmedabad to silence a crowd of 120,000 but India were on course for victory by then.

At his best, like he was that night in 2021, Afridi is box office. His run-up is quick and has the crowd bristling with anticipation. And when the breakthrough arrives, his celebration is a statement: arms aloft with kisses blown into the skies. His 22 wickets in the first over of T20Is are the joint most by a bowler from a Full Member nation. In all T20s - including franchise competitions - he's second.

His last two outings proved that Afridi hasn't lost his new-ball magic. He dismissed Kusal Mendis second ball against Sri Lanka, and Parvez Hossain Emon with his fifth against Bangladesh. Sunday's final is likely to be a charged contest, and it's hard to see Abhishek approach Afridi in any other way.

"Shaheen is obviously an aggressive bowler that will try and knock you over," said India's fast bowling coach Morne Morkel ahead of the game. "And Abhishek is not going to hold back. I think so far, every time these two went head-to-head, we all as cricket supporters and fans are on the edge of our seats, and that's great for the game."

Whether Abhishek is able to dominate once again, or whether third time pays for all for Afridi, could chart the course of the 2025 Asia Cup final.