The spotlight during the all-captain press conference ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 was expectedly on Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha after the recent border tensions between the two countries. The diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan have never been on a sweeter side and the Pahalgam terror attack earlier in April has only worsened the situation.
India retaliated with Operation Sindoor, but calls to boycott the Pakistan game on September 14 in the Asia Cup 2025 grew stronger until the Indian government gave a green light, keeping in mind the Olympic charter as the country prepares to bid for the 2036 Olympics.
Amid the volley of questions on the preparations, the two captains were also asked if they needed to remind the players to keep their tempers in check in the backdrop of what happened between India and Pakistan in recent times. The question came in despite a request to the media to keep their questions apolitical.
“Aggression is always there when you take the field,” Suryakumar observed, thus keeping things light. “Without aggression, I don’t think you can play the sport. And I am very excited to take the field,” he added. However, Salman Agha chose to put the ball on his teammates’ court.
“Everyone is individually very different. If someone is aggressive on the field, they are more than welcome to do that. The fast bowlers are always aggressive, you can’t stop them. From my side, there are no instructions, as long as it stays on the ground,” said the Pakistan skipper.
India & Pakistan’s group stage Asia Cup fixtures
Both India and Pakistan have been put together in Group A. While India start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against United Arab Emirates on September 10, Pakistan play their first game two days later against Oman. The all-important India vs Pakistan clash is scheduled for September 14.
India and Pakistan square off their group assignments on September 19 (vs Oman) and September 17 (vs UAE). Both these teams are also expected to meet each other for the second time in the Super 4 stage, and if possible, in the final too on September 28.