Former Pakistan cricketer Bazid Khan has highlighted the challenges faced by the India team ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, particularly the absences of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from the lineup.
Speaking during a show on a sports channel, Bazid Khan talked about the India-Pakistan clash in the upcoming event.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirements from the shorter format of the game after India’s triumph in the 2024 World Cup.
Bazid mentioned the retired duo and their set standards for the India team ahead of the event.
“All these players are high-class,” he said.
“There isn’t anyone here you would say is not of that calibre. But the high intensity that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma brought to the game, that is something India will surely miss,” added Bazid.
He further mentioned the India captain, Suryakumar Yadav’s struggles against Pakistan, stating that his performance against the arch-rivals remains a core issue.
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“Suryakumar scores runs against almost everyone, but somehow against Pakistan, he hasn’t been effective. Whether it is the pace attack or some other reason, it remains an issue,” Bazid Khan remarked.
Notably, Suryakumar Yadav will be leading Team India for the first time in a major event.
With India facing Pakistan on September 14, Yadav’s performance will be under scrutiny. This will be due to the dynamic batter’s struggle against Pakistan, as the 34-year-old is yet to make a mark against them.
Overall, Yadav has an average of 38.20 with an excellent strike rate of 167.07 in 83 T20Is. On the contrary, in five T20I innings against Pakistan, he has scored just 64 runs at a modest average of 12.80 with a strike rate of 118.51.
The Asia Cup 2025 is set to commence on September 9 with the opening match between Hong Kong and Afghanistan.
India’s squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson.
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