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Explained: Why India Look Settled After Rohit–Kohli, Pakistan Don’t Without Babar–Rizwan

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam [Source: AFP Media]Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam [Source: AFP Media]

India and Pakistan are getting set to participate in the 17th edition of the Asia Cup. The two arch-rivals will be facing off on the 14th September 2025 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

As the tournament approaches, the two Asian Giants stand at the brink of transition. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who have been the biggest legends for India, have retired from the format of the game. On the other hand, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been dropped by Pakistan owing to their run of poor form in the shortest format of international cricket. With both the teams missing key pieces in their puzzles ahead of a big tournament, the question remains: which team will feel the bigger void?

India's Strategic Evolution

India's transition represents a natural process. Both the legends of the team retired immediately after leading India to a win in the T20 World Cup 2024. This was not a forced change, but a planned succession.

The new generation of the team has responded brilliantly. Since the retirement of Kohli and Rohit, India has played 20 matches and has won 16 of them. An 80% win rate, despite two of the biggest pillars leaving the game, has not impacted the team's performance. Under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy, the team has adopted an aggressive approach, with boundary percentages increasing significantly and opting for an all-out strategy in the format.

Pakistan's Crisis Management

Pakistan's situation contrasts starkly with that of India. Their 2024 was disastrous as they won only nine games out of 20 matches. Furthermore, Babar and Rizwan scored at a strike rate of 133.21 and 117.30, respectively, numbers which are far lower than the modern T20 demands.

The decision to drop Babar Azam and Rizwan was backed by the notion that Pakistan is trying to adopt a new brand of cricket, which would be much more aggressive. However, the strike rate of Salman Ali Agha, the new skipper of Pakistan, is just around 115.85, which is significantly lower than Babar's 129.22 and Rizwan's 125.37. 

But contrary to these individual numbers, the team has seemingly performed better in the absence of the two players. The team's win percentage has increased, with Pakistan winning 11 out of their 19 games; however, the quality of their opponents leaves much to be desired.

The Verdict

The performance of the team and what the players brought to the table tells us that Pakistan will miss their duo significantly more than India. The key difference lies in the context; India's legends departed after achieving their goal, leaving behind a confident, winning unit. On the other hand, Pakistan has to drop their duo, owing to adaptation to modern T20 standards. While the team's winning percentage has increased, the batting has often looked susceptible against quality bowling attacks in conditions that provide slightly elevated challenge.

The transition of the Indian team represents an evolution from strength, with their next generation stepping up in a winning environment. Pakistan represents desperation, abandoning their most reliable run-scorers without a proper backup plan or proven replacement strategy, leaving them more vulnerable in the upcoming Asia Cup campaign.