Dhaka, Sept. 28 -- India walk into the Asia Cup final with two convincing wins over Pakistan already in the bag. Pakistan managed a ticket for the final with something rarer: momentum salvaged when things looked shaky.

Strip away the noise about handshakes, hearings and history, and tonight looks like a test of temperament - how each side copes with the first six overs and just as crucially, the last five.

Start with the Powerplay: India have often sprinted to 50 inside five overs, with opening batter Abhishek Sharma throwing punches early and Shubman Gill timing his strokes. That cushion has spared a middle order that hasn't always been fluent. Pakistan know the calculation: If Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf don't crack India's top...