India's Asia Cup 2025 campaign is off to a confident start after a dominant nine-wicket win over the UAE in their Group A opener. With the clash against Pakistan lined up on September 14 in Dubai, the spotlight is already on how far the Men in Blue can go in this tournament.
Former opener Aakash Chopra believes the real test won't arrive until the final itself.
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Aakash Chopra explains why Asia Cup final will be India’s toughest challenge
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said that India's biggest hurdle will likely come in the final - purely because of the high-pressure knockout setting and the nature of the pitches in the UAE.
"I feel it will come straightaway in the final because that will be a knockout game. This is a challenging format. This is the T20 format, the targets have been small, and it has not been a 200-plus tournament," he said.
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Chopra explained that the conditions in the UAE have levelled the playing field - reducing India's natural dominance. He pointed out that totals in the range of 150-160 have kept games competitive, unlike high-scoring matches where India would be clear favourites.
"If this had been a 200-plus tournament, we would have been miles ahead of everyone else. But it's been 150 to 160-run matches. So the teams come closer to each other," he observed.
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Afghanistan's 188/6 against Hong Kong remains the tournament's highest total so far. In Dubai, Pakistan's 160/7 against Oman has been the top score.
India had little opportunity to post a big total - chasing just 58 in their opener.
India vs Pakistan rivalry under testing conditions
Chopra also highlighted that recent India-Pakistan clashes have been closer than they appear with conditions playing a key role. India defended 120 by just six runs in New York at the 2024 T20 World Cup and in 2022, they scraped home off the last ball while chasing 160 in Melbourne.
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded that in low-scoring contests, the gap between teams narrows considerably - making the final a genuine challenge despite India's strength on paper.
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