Key Points

In a rapid tournament like the Asia Cup, intense rivalries come thick and fast, resulting in a riveting affair. As a result, for three consecutive Sundays, India and Pakistan will be battling it out, but this time the stakes will be astronomical, considering the title will be on the line. The third encounter will be a historic one, considering that after 41 years, India and Pakistan have made the final together for the first time in the history of the Asia Cup.

India has outfoxed Pakistan with consummate ease in their last two encounters in the ongoing tournament. However, the results will be inconsequential if they fall on the wrong side of the title-deciding final at the Dubai International Stadium. Despite the rivalry pressure and the off-field drama, Harbhajan sees only one outcome and said, while speaking to reporters, "Today India will win, and we will all celebrate."

On the other hand, Mongia acknowledged India as the hot favourites to return home with the crown. However, he urged India to be wary of the law of averages, which relates to the supposed principle that the outcomes of random events will eventually "even out" to match their theoretical probabilities.

"I expect a good match today. India's chances of winning are high. India and Pakistan are going to play the finals of the Asia Cup after 41 years. India has performed very well in the Asia Cup so far. I am scared of the law of averages. We have to ensure that our players are not overconfident," Mongia said while speaking to the reporters.

One of the biggest concerns for India is the misfiring skipper Suryakumar. He has looked like a pale shadow of his 360-degree reputation on the slow-paced Dubai strip while trying to deploy his unorthodox strokeplay from his heavily loaded arsenal.

In the Asia Cup, Suryakumar has managed to amass 71 runs in five innings, averaging 23.66, with a strike rate just above 100 and a best of 47*, which he achieved on his 35th birthday against Pakistan in the group stage. Amid his dreadful run in the tournament, Mongia sees the final as the "right opportunity" for Suryakumar to showcase his potential.

"He is a big player, and this is the right moment for Suryakumar Yadav to come into form in this match. He has the opportunity to show his class," he added.

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Waseem Jnr, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim.

- ANI