Asia Cup 2025: Fans slam PCB’s decision to exclude Haris Rauf from India clash

DUBAI: Cricket fans have voiced disappointment over the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to leave out pacer Haris Rauf for the high-octane Asia Cup 2025 clash against arch-rivals India, scheduled for Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan, led by captain Salman Ali Agha, won the toss and elected to bat first, opting for the same playing XI that defeated Oman in the tournament opener. 

Fans, however, have criticised the team selection, questioning the omission of the right-arm pacer and suggesting that Faheem Ashraf should have been replaced by Rauf. 

Many now consider India the favorites ahead of the blockbuster contest.

Both teams enter the clash in strong form. India bowled out hosts UAE for just 57 runs before chasing the target in just 4.3 overs. 

Pakistan, meanwhile, posted 160-7 against Oman and then dismissed their opponents for 67 runs inside 17 overs. 

Standout performances for Pakistan included wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, who scored 66 off 43 balls with seven fours and three sixes, and left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, who took 2/7 in three overs.

Despite Pakistan’s promising start to the tournament, the overall T20I head-to-head record favors India, who have won 10 of the 13 encounters. In the Asia Cup T20 format, India leads 2-1. 

Their most recent meeting was during the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York, where Rohit Sharma’s India narrowly defeated Babar Azam’s Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed.

India: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah.