By Krishna Dua 
Abhishek Sharma Set to Smash Records in IND vs PAK Final
Dubai, September 28, 2025 – Abhishek Sharma stands on the precipice of cricketing immortality as India gears up for the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium tonight, a high-octane showdown where the 24-year-old opener’s scintillating form could shatter records etched by icons like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. With India unbeaten in the tournament after a commanding 41-run victory over Sri Lanka on September 25—where Sharma’s blistering 75 off 37 balls clinched him Player of the Match honors—the Men in Blue enter as resounding favorites, their net run rate of +2.45 and six points from three Super Fours wins painting a picture of poised perfection. Under the visionary captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, Sharma has been the linchpin, aggregating 309 runs in six innings at an average of 51.50 and a strike rate of 204.63, laced with three fifties, 31 fours, and 19 sixes. As the 8:00 PM IST start beckons under floodlights with temperatures at 32°C and negligible dew anticipated, Sharma eyes milestones such as the most runs in an Asia Cup edition (surpassing Kohli’s 317 from 2012) and the highest strike rate in a final (eclipsing Rohit’s 200 from 2007). Pakistan, who clawed into the final with a last-ball thriller against Bangladesh on September 26, will hinge on Babar Azam’s poise and Shaheen Afridi’s swing to thwart Sharma’s assault, but in a rivalry where India boasts an 11-3 edge in 14 T20Is, the young gun’s fireworks could render the win a walkover for the champions—potentially by 30 runs or 7 wickets. With #INDvPAKFinal erupting to 18 million posts on X, this September 28 decider isn’t a duel—it’s destiny, where Abhishek Sharma’s record rampage could crown India’s eighth title and catapult him into the pantheon of T20 prodigies.
The Asia Cup 2025, the 17th edition hosted by the UAE from September 9 to 28, has been a riveting rollercoaster of high-scoring epics and strategic showdowns, its expanded eight-team group stage infusing the Super Fours with unparalleled urgency. India, helmed by the astute Suryakumar Yadav, stormed Group A unbeaten with resounding triumphs over Pakistan (six wickets on September 21) and Oman, before subduing the Super Fours with conquests against Bangladesh (41 runs on September 24) and Sri Lanka (41 runs on September 25). Pakistan’s voyage was more volatile: A group-stage stumble to India, but a Super Fours resurgence with a nine-wicket annihilation of UAE on September 22 and a pulse-pounding last-ball heist against Bangladesh on September 26, where Iftikhar Ahmed’s six off the final delivery clinched progression. The final, the inaugural India-Pakistan summit since the 2012 Dhaka edition seized by Pakistan, resurrects a rivalry that has spawned 10 finals across formats, India commanding a 7-3 superiority. With Dubai’s dew-minimal milieu favoring the toss-winner (60% success rate for batting first in Super Fours), the captains’ call could prove prophetic. As anthems thunder and floodlights flare, the stakes skyrocket: For India, triumph prolongs their unbeaten streak to four and solidifies their T20 sovereignty; for Pakistan, glory would shatter a 13-year continental curse. This September 28 titan tango isn’t cricket—it’s catharsis, a clash where Abhishek Sharma’s record pursuit could render Pakistan’s chase a chase in vain.
Abhishek Sharma: From Fringe Player to Final Phenomenon
Abhishek Sharma’s meteoric rise from a domestic fringe player to the Asia Cup’s final phenomenon is a narrative of nurtured talent and explosive execution, a left-handed opener whose blend of brute force and fine timing has made him indispensable in India’s white-ball revolution. Born on September 4, 2000, in Amritsar, Punjab, Sharma’s formative years were forged in the furnace of family expectations, his father Ajit Singh—a schoolteacher and former cricketer—crafting tape-ball pitches in the backyard to instill the basics of balance and bravery. By age 13, Sharma was a standout in Punjab’s Under-13 circuit, his elegant strokeplay—evoking a young Sourav Ganguly—propelling him to the state U-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy team. The watershed moment arrived at the 2018 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand, where under Prithvi Shaw’s captaincy, Sharma’s all-round wizardry steered India to glory. In the quarterfinal against Australia on January 29, 2018, he hammered a match-defining 50 off 36 balls—studded with 6 fours and 1 six—and snared 2 for 11 with his slow left-arm orthodox spin, dismissing opener Saif Hassan and all-rounder Afif Hossain to orchestrate a 131-run annihilation. That performance, part of his tournament tally of 484 runs at a strike rate of 204.22 and 10 wickets, proclaimed Sharma as a big-match maestro, his aggressive strokeplay—six sixes in the semi-final against Australia—drawing parallels to a teenage Rishabh Pant.
Domestic domains deepened his dominance: Sharma’s 2019 Ranji Trophy exploits for Punjab (546 runs at 45.50 average) showcased maturity, while his IPL entry with Delhi Capitals in 2020 (₹55 lakh) marked the professional pivot. The catalyst came with Sunrisers Hyderabad’s acquisition in the 2022 mega-auction for ₹6.50 crore, where he blossomed into a top-order terror. IPL 2024 was his coronation: A staggering 484 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 204.22, including the highest individual score in IPL history—a 201* off 123 balls against Mumbai Indians on May 2—with 3 sixes and 19 fours in a knock that included three fifties. This purple patch translated to international acclaim: T20I debut against South Africa in December 2023, followed by three centuries against Zimbabwe in July 2024—the most by an Indian opener—boasting 844 runs in 23 matches at 38.36 average and 197.73 strike rate. In the ongoing Asia Cup, Sharma’s 309 runs in 6 innings at 51.50 average and 204.63 strike rate, with three fifties, 31 fours, and 19 sixes, places him on the verge of records like most runs in an edition (surpassing Virat Kohli’s 317 from 2012) and highest strike rate in a final (topping Rohit Sharma’s 200 from 2007). Phenomenon? Final’s—Sharma’s saga, T20’s torchbearer.
Tournament Tempest: Super Fours’ Stakes for India and Pakistan
The Super Fours stage, erupting on September 20, has been a tempest of tactical triumphs and tense turnarounds, encapsulating the Asia Cup’s high-wire drama. India’s tempest has been tamed: September 21’s six-wicket Pakistan stroll (Bumrah 2/18, Sharma 58 off 29), September 24’s 41-run Bangladesh romp (Kuldeep 3/18), September 25’s 41-run Sri Lanka demolition (Sharma 75 off 37). Six points +2.45 NRR, India’s stakes supreme—final’s forge, eighth title’s echo.
Pakistan’s tempest turbulent: Group A’s India loss, Super Fours’ nine-wicket UAE rout September 22 (Zaman 81 off 45), last-ball Bangladesh heist September 26 (Ahmed 6 off last, Rizwan 68*). Four points +1.20 NRR, stakes sky-high—upset’s siren, drought’s demise. Tempest? Turbulent—stakes’ storm, final’s fury.
Head-to-Head Heat: India’s Ironclad Grip in T20 Finals
Head-to-head heat India-Pakistan T20 finals: 2 matches, India 1 win, Pakistan 1. 2012 Dhaka: Pakistan’s 8-run thriller, Jamshed 96 vs Kohli’s chase. Overall T20Is: 15, India 11 wins, Pakistan 3, 1 NR. Asia Cup: India 8 titles, Pakistan 2 (2000, 2012). Grip? Ironclad—India’s 8.5 economy vs Pakistan’s 7.8, SR 150 vs 140. Heat? High—final’s furnace, India’s inferno.
Venue Verdict: Dubai’s Dew-Minimal Decider
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, T20’s UAE jewel since 1987, hosts 150+ epics: Batting first 55% triumphs, dew post-9 PM chase 60% success. Drop-in pitches: True bounce early (168 average first innings), Ramji curator spinner-grips 6.8 economy. Boundaries 65m—Abhishek lofts, Babar dabs. Floodlights error-minimal Bumrah yorkers. Asia Cup