Asia Cup 2025 Final: Why Pakistan could hold upper hand against India

The Asia Cup 2025 final is set to be a historic showdown as India and Pakistan clash at the Dubai International Stadium, with fierce rivalry and high stakes fuelling the anticipation.

For the first time in the tournament’s history since its inception in 1984, the two arch-rivals will face off in the final. India, appearing in their 11th final, are chasing a record-extending ninth title, while Pakistan, making their sixth appearance, aim to claim the trophy for the third time.

This will mark the 13th time India and Pakistan meet in a tournament decider. In these summit clashes, Pakistan have historically held the advantage, winning eight times compared to India’s four victories.

The only T20 encounter between the sides in a major final came in 2007, when MS Dhoni’s young Indian team triumphed in the inaugural T20 World Cup at Johannesburg’s New Wanderers Stadium.

Despite Pakistan’s edge in historic finals, recent results favor India, who have already defeated Pakistan twice in this edition of the Asia Cup and are on a seven-match winning streak against their rivals across formats, including four consecutive T20 victories.

In T20Is specifically, India dominate with 12 wins out of 15 encounters. Across all formats, the teams have met 210 times, with Pakistan winning 88 matches and India securing 79.