Asia Cup 2025: 'Ready for any challenge' - Pakistan skipper Salman Agha optimistic to beat India in Super Four clash

India and Pakistan are once again set to lock horns in the Asia Cup 2025. With both teams advancing to the Super Four, the arch-rivals will face each other once again on September 21 in Dubai. After suffering a seven-wicket defeat in their previous meeting and finding themselves in the middle of a no-handshake controversy, Pakistan will be under immense pressure to deliver. However, Captain Salman Agha is confident that his team can rise to the occasion.

Pakistan booked their place in the Super Four with a 41-run win over the United Arab Emirates. Despite posting a total of 146/9, their bowlers ensured victory against an UAE side. Fakhar Zaman’s fifty was the only notable contribution at the top, while Shaheen Afridi’s late cameo (29* off 14) gave the innings some momentum.

We'll be good against any side: Agha

The win helped Men in Green put aside the drama around their threatened boycott of the UAE match, which came from their objections to match referee Andy Pycroft after the handshake controversy with India. Speaking after the victory over the UAE, Salman Agha stressed the need for his team to focus on playing quality cricket and not get distracted by external noise.

“Yeah, we're ready for any challenge. We just want to play good cricket, and if we play good cricket like we’ve been playing for the last few months. I think we'll be good against any side,” said Agha in the post-match presentation.

The skipper admitted that Pakistan’s batting woes are a major concern. He pointed to their struggles in the middle overs, which have prevented them from posting competitive totals.

“We got the job done, but we still need to bat better in the middle over. I think that's what is concerning for us for a few games now. We need to look at that. We haven't batted our best yet, but we're still finding a way to score around 150. If we batted well in the middle over, we probably will end up scoring 170-180, no matter which team against we are playing against. So yeah, the middle overs, if we batted well there, we will be very good,” he added.