Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 14 (ANI): Ahead of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 clash on Sunday, young cricketers from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur expressed their excitement and pinned hopes on local star Kuldeep Yadav.

Speaking to ANI, Harsh Pathak, a young cricketer, said, 'I want India to perform brilliantly. Kuldeep bhaiya (Kuldeep Yadav) should do really well. He should claim 5 wickets. India should win.'

Another youngster, Shri Singh, called the match a thriller in the making. 'Kuldeep bhaiya (Kuldeep Yadav) will perform very well, and we hope that he takes five wickets. India will bring the Asia Cup home,' she said.

The high-voltage contest will be played at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in India's second Group A fixture. Both teams are heading into the contest on the back of convincing wins in their respective openers. India dominated hosts UAE by nine wickets in their first match, while Pakistan outclassed Hong Kong China by 93 runs comfortably. The result makes Sunday's encounter pivotal in the race to the Super Four. A win here not only brings bragging rights but also strengthens early qualification chances, according to Olympics.com.

Currently the No. 1 men's T20I cricket team in the world, India are the reigning world and continental champions. They are also the most successful team in the Asia Cup history with eight titles.

The India vs Pakistan rivalry has played out 13 times in the T20I format, with India leading 9-3. One of Pakistan's three wins came in the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai - their last victory over India in T20 cricket, according to Olympics.com.

India beat Pakistan by six runs in New York the last time the two teams met at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Bumrah produced a magical spell to turn the match when Pakistan seemed like the clear favourites to pick up a victory.

On the Asia Cup stage, India and Pakistan have met 19 times across both ODI and T20I formats. India has won 10, Pakistan has won six, and three matches were abandoned.

Squads:

India: 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.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim. (ANI)