Dhaka, Sept. 28 -- Strip away the noise around an India-Pakistan final, and the cricketing question for tonight's Asia Cup title match is simple, who will control the middle overs?

For all the talk of Shaheen Shah Afridi's swing up front and Abhishek Sharma's blazing starts, the trophy may well rest on how India's Kuldeep Yadav-Varun Chakravarthy axis matches up against Pakistan's Abrar Ahmed once the field spreads.

Dubai has rewarded smart spin throughout this tournament. India's two earlier wins over Pakistan both tilted when Suryakumar Yadav turned to Kuldeep and Varun with runs already banked. Kuldeep has punished anything that gripped; Varun's pace-off and flat lengths have smothered release shots.

Together, they have pushed batte...