Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan shared some advice for the star Indian batter Abhishek Sharma ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan. Both teams meet on Sunday, September 28, in Dubai. Irfan Pathan praised Abhishek for his consistency and the way he has been scoring runs as well.
“Abhishek has scored 35-45% of India’s runs in the Asia Cup alone. His strike-rate is amazing and it is not easy. His ability to hit front and his base is impressing everyone. Everyone feels like they will buy the match ticket to watch this guy play. He is consistent and has become a six-hitting machine. He has played more than 30 balls only four times and has scored hundreds two times. That means if he plays a few more balls, then he will push the opposition on the back foot,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“Everyone will now think that Pakistan will target him in the final and there could be the law of averages, maybe he will not score runs on a few days. But his method should not change. If Pakistan think getting him out alone will win them the game, there are other players as well,” he further added.
“The best thing in the Sri Lanka game was that Sanju Samson looked in good touch. If he is batting out of place but looked good, it is a god sign. Tilak Varma is also playing at four and not three but he made runs, this is a big positive. Axar also scored some runs. With Shivam Dube coming in the batting will be more lengthy. So it is not Abhishek alone, there are others as well. This Indian team has other players also who are solid,” he shared.
Irfan Pathan also opined on India’s bowling attack in the same video. He also shared that Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav would be important in the final.
“The trio of Varun, Kuldeep, and Bumrah will be very crucial for India. These are 12 overs of gold and you will see it in Dubai again. And the other bowlers are also picking wickets. Shivam Dube is doing a good job, there is Hardik, Axar also comes into the game. There are many options. Things become a lot better when it comes to running the game if you have six quality options. If there is a man-to-man marking against Pakistan, you will find a lot of match-winners in the Indian team,” Irfan Pathan concluded.
