India vs Pakistan: Hardik Pandya out of Asia Cup 2025 final, netizens blame ‘poor planning’
Due to a quadriceps injury, Hardik Pandya will miss the crucial match against Pakistan. Shivam Dube opened the bowling for India but fans expressed disappointment online, highlighting the significant impact of Pandya's absence on India's chances in the game.
Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been ruled out of the high-octane clash against Pakistan due to an injury he sustained in the last match against Sri Lanka. Pandya had bowled only one over in the last contest and walked out of the ground after injuring his hamstring.
Former India coach and commentator Ravi Shastri informed on air that the all-rounder wasn't playing in the match due to a quadriceps injury.
Pandya had featured in all of India's clashes so far in the Asia Cup and also opened the bowling for the Men in Blue alongside Jasprit Bumrah. The all-rounder had taken four wickets in the tournament so far, but his injury led the team management to focus more on ramping up the batting department with the addition of Rinku Singh in the lineup.
Instead of Pandya, all-rounder Shivam Dube opened the bowling for India alongside Jasprit Bumrah. The loss of Pandya was immediately noticeable for India as the arch-rivals went on to get a rapid start and lost no wickets inside the first ten overs.
Notably, this is the first ever Asia Cup Final between India and Pakistan. The two teams are playing their third match in the tournament so far, with India winning both the league stage and Super-4 clash. The Men in Blue also hold a 12-3 lead over the neighbours in all international T20I contests.
Netizens react to Hardik Pandya's omission from Asia Cup final:
Social media users weren't happy with the omission of Hardik Pandya from the Indian lineup, with some users lamenting their favourite cricketer while others pointing out bad planning from the Indian team management.
"Hardik Pandya has taken wickets in powerplay and helped India to restrict them in 2 games. But today Hardik ain't playing and India fails to take a single Wicket. That can be a huge difference," wrote one user on X.
"Last time when Hardik Pandya missed the final of a tournament," added another user, while referring to the final of the ODI World Cup 2023 where India lost against Australia.
“That’s a massive blow 💔 Hardik’s absence could really hurt India in the final… big shoes to fill against Pakistan,” added another user.
“India should have rested him against Sri Lanka considering his injury-prone nature. It was poor planning on our part,” added yet another user.