Stage is set. Players are ready. One match is remaining to decide the new champion of the Asia Cup. But, Pakistani fans are missing the ideal “mauka” (an old media campaign on jinx) to take India down in the finals of the mega event after memorable performances in the six-team tournament.

Pakistan would face Sri Lanka today (Sunday) in Dubai for the final showdown of the precursor of the T20 World Cup. Both sides have made a strong comeback in the event after losing their maiden matches.

Many cricket aficionados here were anticipating a Pakistan-India clash in the finals as the two sides have not played any bilateral series for a long time and showdowns in mega events are a real treat to revive the hunger for arch rivalry. Though players from both sides have described it as another match but spoke about the high intensity of the contest.

Social media influencers and internet users after a thrilling run chase against Afghanistan were praising Naseem Shah but also lamented that India was out of the tournament, leaving their hopes for the final clash dashed.

India had been running a media campaign on Pakistan’s consecutive losses against India in the ICC World Cup editions. But, the Babar-led side broke the jinx by beating their archrivals in the last T20 World Cup and brought an end to such a campaign.