Asia Cup 2025, IND vs PAK: Suryakumar, Salman Agha welcome ‘aggression’ as long as it stays on field

The D-day has arrived as the 2025 Asia Cup gets underway in the UAE. While Afghanistan and Hong Kong square off in the tournament opener in Abu Dhabi on September 9, the marquee Group A clash between defending champions India and Pakistan remains the highlight, set for Sunday (Sep 14) in Dubai. Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and his counterpart, Salam Ali Agha from Pakistan, hogged all the limelight in the pre-tournament press conference, with both echoing similar sentiments when asked about their thoughts on playing against each other amid a tense geopolitical situation.

While SKY, as most fans often call him, said no player is instructed to tone down aggression (against Pakistan), Agha, speaking on the same lines, added that as long as the aggression stays on the field, he has no issues, further adding that if anyone wishes to show it, they are more than welcome to do so, hyping up this upcoming contest.

"Temper? Aggression is always there when we take the field," Suryakumar said. "And without aggression, I don't think you can play this sport. I'm very excited to take the field."

Replying to the same question, Pakistan captain Agha said,

"You don't need to say anything to any player. Everyone is different individually. If someone wants to be aggressive on the field, they are more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive, and you can't stop them because that's what keeps them going.

"From my side, there is no instruction to anyone, as long as it stays on the field,” he continued.

‘We are ready – SKY’

Having arrived in the country almost a week before their first game, the Indian Team trained well during their full net sessions, with captain Suryakumar sounding confident of his team’s preparation for the eight-team tournament.

"We are playing T20 as a team after a long time. But we were here three-four days back, had some good time together as a team, and we are really looking forward to this tournament,” captain Suryakumar Yadav said.

Pakistan, on the other hand, will enter this tournament as tri-series winners, which also included the UAE and Afghanistan; despite that, captain Salman Agha refused to call themselves the favourites, saying no one is ever a favourite in this format as it’s a fast-moving one.

"In T20, I don't think anyone is favourite," he said. "On a particular day, you just have to play good cricket. T20 is a very fast game. In one or two overs, the game can completely change.

"The tri-series was always preparation for the Asia Cup. If we won it, that's very good, but the focus was always on this tournament. We still have to come here, play good cricket, and win the Asia Cup. That's all that matters.

"We are playing very good cricket. I think for almost four months, we have won three series out of four. So, we are doing very well as a team, and at the same time, we are very excited. A lot of the boys will play in the Asia Cup for the first time, but they are ready for the challenge,” he concluded.