India are set to face Pakistan in a high-octane Asia Cup final, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. (ACC Photo)
NEW DELHI: India are set to face Pakistan in a high-octane Asia Cup final, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Who will lift the trophy on Sunday? Who will handle the pressure better? And who will have the last laugh? All questions will be answered when the arch-rivals clash in front of a packed Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.India enter the final unbeaten in the tournament, having already defeated Pakistan twice — once in the group stage and again in the Super Four. Naturally, they head into the title clash as favourites. However, astrologer Greenstone Lobo has a different prediction — he believes Pakistan will emerge as the Asia Cup champions this time.“We have Salman from Pakistan and then we have Suryakumar from India. So if I am going to compare these two gentlemen, Salman was born in 1993 when Neptune was at 25 degrees and Pluto was at 0 degrees, which is very powerful, extremely strong. And we are also looking at Suryakumar Yadav, who was born in 1990 with planet Pluto at 0 degrees, Neptune is strong, planet Z in a strong position, X is in a strong position,” Lobo said.“So there is like no comparison, I mean like both of them are equals, okay, in some way. The only thing is that if I am looking at the team, the Pakistan team seems to be like okay-ish. I mean if you are looking at the ingredients, the various batsmen, the bowlers, I don’t want to get into the names or details now, but the thing is if you are looking at the team, our team is much more powerful.“So the big question is, will India beat Pakistan in the Asia Cup final? I have exactly the same views that I had even before the tournament started. When we have to predict any kind of tournament which is bigger, then it becomes easier to predict. I mean I am talking about a tournament like a World Cup or an IPL, you know, which has larger significance. And there are much bigger stakeholders. Even if you are looking at an IPL, there will be captains coming from Australia or South Africa and, you know, the Indian captains have to compete against them. So only the best, the bestest of people with the — I mean I don’t know if there is any word — with the most awesome horoscope, you know, they are the ones who actually win. So you need to have somebody who has Uranus, Neptune, Pluto at 0, 10, 25 degrees and, you know, only then you win such a tournament. And as the tournament’s significance goes down, then anyone with a slightly lesser horoscope can also win, okay. So if you are looking at, let’s say, the Ranji Trophy, for example, it can be won by somebody who has a slightly weaker horoscope because it’s not a major tournament.“What happens is it’s about a spread of the karmic quota. So the best people with the best horoscopes win the best tournaments and people with slightly lesser horoscopes win the lesser tournaments, you know, that is how it works. But of course, sometimes what happens is you can also have someone who has an extraordinary horoscope which is beyond anybody’s comparison and they go on doing everything possible. I mean, the examples can be someone like an MS Dhoni. So now we have Salman from Pakistan and then we have our Suryakumar from India. So if I am going to compare these two gentlemen, Salman was born in 1993 when Neptune was at 25 degrees and Pluto was at 0 degrees, which is very powerful, extremely strong. And we are also looking at Suryakumar Yadav, who was born in 1990 with planet Pluto at 0 degrees, Neptune is strong, planet Z in a strong position, X is in a strong position. So there is like no comparison, I mean, like both of them are equals, okay, in some way. The only thing is that if I’m looking at the team, the Pakistan team seems to be like okay-ish.“I mean, if you’re looking at the ingredients, the various batsmen, the bowlers, I don’t want to get into the names or details now, but the thing is, if you’re looking at the team, our team is much more powerful, though I would definitely love to have, you know, some more changes in the Indian squad, you know. But still, we have a very good squad. Probably, you know, by the end of this tournament, there would be some, you know, changes that can come up which will, you know, ensure that we have an even better squad for the T20 World Cup.“Now the question is, the Asia Cup is of slightly lesser significance compared to a World Cup or an IPL or a T20 World Cup or even a Champions Trophy. So compared to that, the Asia Cup is a smaller tournament, which can be won by both of them, okay.“So both of them have equal horoscopes and, in fact, Pakistan becomes a big threat even in the T20 World Cup. So now, do these two gentlemen have the possibility of winning both the tournaments? I would say probably yes. But the only thing is that in terms of, if I’m going to look at the logical progression of the years, you know, you had an ’87-born winning the last T20 World Cup, okay.“So probably there is a higher possibility that instead of a ’93-born, a ’90-born can win the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is the larger tournament, which is the more significant tournament. Suryakumar Yadav has got a higher chance of winning the upcoming T20 World Cup. And Salman has got a lesser chance to win that, you know. So which means that, why? Because of logical progression and the best horoscope, you know. So from that perspective, even a person with a less significant horoscope can win this tournament, which is the Asia Cup. So that is where Pakistan has got a chance. So what it means is that Pakistan really, really has — I mean, I wouldn’t be really surprised, okay, if Pakistan wins this match and wins the tournament, okay. And if it happens, I’ll tell you what, I’ll be happy. Because it’s a, you know, like, let such a small tournament be won by Pakistan. It’s okay, right. It’s a very insignificant tournament, right. Sri Lanka has won one Asia Cup and it doesn’t really matter, right.“We’re looking at, we need to win bigger tournaments. So if India lose this, I’ll be very happy because what will happen is at least the selectors and everyone will wake up to the fact that, you know, there are some big players who are missing and they should be given chances and they should be part of the T20 setup and they will be there for the T20 World Cup. Probably we’ll have an even stronger squad because something wrong has to happen to shake up the entire system.“Maybe it will be a good thing actually. At the same time, if India goes on to win, once again, I wouldn’t be surprised, you know, because Suryakumar Yadav has got a phenomenal horoscope and he definitely has it in him to win one smaller tournament and also one bigger tournament. So what it means is that, see, I’m not going to give you a conclusive answer, okay.“If you’re expecting a conclusive answer, I can’t. I can only give a conclusive answer if I have the exact birth details of both Salman as well as SKY. I don’t have the exact birth details of both of them. I tried to reach but couldn’t get them. So it’s not possible to say that, but either of the two teams can win. And if India is going to lose, don’t worry. It’s okay. It’s only a smaller tournament. It only means that India can win the bigger prize, okay, which is winning the T20 World Cup. And if Pakistan wins, okay, it’s good for them. Let them rejoice, okay, but then we know that, you know, we will have the chance — the bigger chance — at the bigger cherry,” Lobo said.