India and Pakistan are all set to lock horns in the Asia Cup 2025 group-stage match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 14).

While the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will enter the game on the back of a thumping nine-wicket win over UAE, the Men in Green will also be high on confidence following an emphatic 93-run victory against Oman in their campaign opener.

On the eve of the marquee clash, Pakistan opener Saim Ayub addressed a press conference, where he dodged all queries about his team’s lopsided record and recent troubles against India.

One of the first questions he was asked in the presser was about whether he remembered the last T20I between these two sides during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in New York.

India were skittled out for just 119 but they managed to restrict Pakistan to 113/7. Saim, who was still finding his feet in international cricket at the time, didn’t feature in that particular match.

“Sir, it has been a year and half. At that time, if you had asked me, I would have told you how I felt. Do you remember? I do not remember now," he responded to the question.

The southpaw said that it’s a mindset of his team not to think much about the past India-Pakistan matches.

“I think this is the message of our team management for the last three to four months. The most important thing is to learn from the past and move forward. We don’t want to remember the past and don’t want to focus too much on the future," Saim said.

The 23-year-old then shifted his goalpost to the Asia Cup as a whole. “It is going to be a big match for the people. We do not see it like this as a team. We see that we follow the same process day by day in the next match. Memories do not matter. This tournament matters the most. We are not just looking forward to the Pakistan-India match. We are looking forward to win the tournament," he said.

Saim Ayub was also asked about India’s star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has troubled the Pakistan batting line-up in the last few matches. But the left-hander played that down.

“Definitely, it is a challenge. When you play a match, every type of bowler is a challenge for you. The biggest challenge is to make the team win. To find ways to do that. We are in the present moment. We are in the match. That is what is important," he remarked.