Cricketer-turned-expert Aakash Chopra has expressed supreme confidence about the Suryakumar Yadav-led India playing the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 final. The former opener also stated that even India A would have played the final with the team had they been part of the Continental Cup event. India started their multi-team tournament with two convincing wins against the UAE & Pakistan.
In a video on his YouTube Channel, the expert was asked about India's likely opponent in the finals of the Asia Cup, which is exactly a fortnight away.
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"Firstly, it felt nice that you said the Asia Cup final, because we will play. In fact, there is the Gulf of Aden between us and the other teams. It is such a big gulf. It seems like we are playing at a different level, and the rest are playing at a much lower level. I was wondering whether the India-A team can also be played. If India-A also plays in the Asia Cup, the final might be between India and India-A," he responded (6:45).
Sri Lanka might reach Asia Cup final: Aakash Chopra
Chopra feels Sri Lanka is the one team that can challenge India for the Continental Cup title.
"However, India-A are not there currently. So, I feel the best team is Sri Lanka. That is one team that can compete with you and challenge you. The main reason for that is which team will bat better against our bowling. That's the primary question for me. Pakistan hasn't been able to do that. Afghanistan have good bowling, but I feel they will get stuck in batting against us. Sri Lanka has depth, class, and skills in batting," he reasoned.
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Sri Lanka started their Asia Cup 2025 campaign by thumping Bangladesh by six wickets. They will next face Hong Kong on Monday, September 15, in Dubai.
In the same video, Aakash also stated that currently India are the most dangerous side in T20Is, and start overwhelming favourites to defend the T20 World Cup next year.
"Yes, sir. Whichever match happens in the T20 World Cup, India will start as firm favorites. We are far ahead of the other teams, and it's clearly evident if you see the Indian team's playing style. There is dominance, aggression, experience, and depth in batting. In bowling, you have variation, lethal combinations, wicket-taking ability, and the options to bowl defensively as well," he said (12:50).
