India and Pakistan meet in a high-stakes Asia Cup final. With both teams battling injuries, India’s focus is on their in-form talisman, Abhishek Sharma. Pakistan’s hopes rest on a strong bowling attack led by Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf

Dubai: Winning isn’t everything, but for 11 Indian cricketers, it will be the only thing on their minds when they take on an unpredictable Pakistan in the Asia Cup final here on Sunday, following a high-voltage build-up that has blurred the lines between on-field sport and off-field politics.

In the words of American political activist and author Mike Marqusee, it is “War Minus Shooting.”

Over the years, this contest has never lacked in adrenaline, but seldom has it arrived with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with of

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