
Sun Sep 14 20:21:44 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
A major controversy erupted at the start of the India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 match in Dubai when organizers mistakenly played the wrong song instead of the Pakistani national anthem. The error was quickly corrected. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat. Both teams retained their winning lineups from their previous matches. The match takes place amid heightened political tensions. India, the T20 World Cup champions and top-ranked T20I team, are tournament favorites, while Pakistan enters with good form after a recent tri-series victory. This is the 20th Asia Cup meeting between the two nations, with India holding a 10-6 advantage in previous encounters.
**News Article:**
**Anthem Blunder Mars Start of India-Pakistan Asia Cup Clash**
*Dubai, UAE* – A significant error marred the start of the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 match between India and Pakistan on Sunday, as organizers mistakenly played the wrong song instead of the Pakistani national anthem. The incident, which occurred just before the match was scheduled to begin, was met with visible confusion from the Pakistani players. The mistake was swiftly rectified, and the correct national anthem was then played.
The incident added an extra layer of tension to an already highly charged encounter, played against the backdrop of ongoing political sensitivities between the two nations.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium. Both teams, fresh off convincing victories in their opening matches – Pakistan against Oman and India against UAE – chose to field unchanged lineups.
India enters the tournament as the favorites, holding the title of T20 World Cup champions and currently ranked number one in the world in T20Is. However, Pakistan, under Agha’s leadership, have shown strong form recently, securing a tri-series victory against Afghanistan and UAE prior to the Asia Cup.
Today marks the 20th Asia Cup meeting between India and Pakistan. Of the previous 19 encounters, India has emerged victorious on 10 occasions, while Pakistan has won six, with three matches ending without a result.