New Delhi: After thrashing UAE by 9 wickets in their opening match of the tournament, Suryakumar Yadav-led India will look to continue their winning run when they take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their second group-stage match on Sunday, September 14. The game will be played at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
UAE were no match to India as the reigning T20 world champions produced a dominant all-round display to secure a thumping victory in their opening game of the tournament. India bowled out UAE for a paltry 57 runs before openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill made light work of the target to help India complete the chase in just 4.3 overs.
India headed into the clash against UAE with three spinners and Jasprit Bumrah as the only frontline pacer. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube were the two pace all-rounders in the team, as left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh was left on the bench. Arshdeep is India’s highest wicket-taker in T20Is with 99 wickets in 63 matches, however, his services were not required against UAE.
While India might not want to change their winning combination for the all-important clash against Pakistan, there is still a strong chance of Arshdeep’s comeback in the XI. Jasprit Bumrah will once again lead India’s pace attack, with both Dube and Pandya set to continue as the two pace all-rounders. Arshdeep’s inclusion would mean that India will have to drop one of the two specialist spinners – Varun Chakaravarthy or Kuldeep Yadav.
India’s predicted XI for Pakistan clash in Asia Cup 2025:
Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy/Arshdeep Singh