Team India is set to begin their Asia Cup title defense against the UAE. The likely playing XI is analyzed, discussing Kuldeep Yadav’s chances, the inclusion of three all-rounders, and the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill.
Team India will begin their quest for the Asia Cup title defence when they take on the hosts, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the group stage at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, September 10. The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the tournament, having won the title in the 50-over format in 2023.
The Asia Cup 2025 is taking place in the T20 format, keeping in mind the next year’s T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March. Heading into the continental tournament, Suryakumar Yadav and his boys are favourites to take home the Asia Cup trophy, despite having played their last T20I in February this year. However, the players selected for the tournament might have received gametime through the 3-month IPL 2025.
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The India squad arrived in Dubai on Thursday, September 5, and had their first training session on Friday, September 6, under the watchful eyes of head coach Gautam Gambhir and his coaching staff at the ICC Academy Ground. As the Men in Blue gear up for the Asia Cup, the discussion has been about the potential playing XI for the opener against the UAE.
Kuldeep is unlikely to get picked
Despite not getting a single game throughout the Test series against England, Kuldeep Yadav’s name was found in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025. However, the spinner is unlikely to make it to the playing XI for the opening match against the UAE, given the condition of the pitch. During the Champions Trophy 2025, the Dubai pitch was slow and dry, offering assistance to spinners. However, this time pitch has changed, likely to assist seamers more.
Speaking at the press conference ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, India bowling coach Morne Morkel stated that the current Dubai pitch has extra grass compared to the previous pitch used during the Champions Trophy 2025, making it more suitable for seamers than spinners.
“I believe there’s quite a bit of grass covering on the square. So we’ll have a good idea going into the first game in terms of what is sort of a better way to go, but in terms of planning at the moment, we’re covering all bases and then we’ll make a decision obviously on match day.” Morkel said.
Therefore, Kuldeep Yadav’s place in the squad is uncertain, given the nature of the pitch for the opening match against the UAE, which favors seamers over spinners, making it likely that India will opt for a pace-heavy bowling attack.
Three all-rounders in the playing XI
Team India management is likely to pick three all-rounders in the playing XI in order to balance the team, giving them flexibility with both bat and ball. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel are certain to be included in the XI, while Shivam Dube will be the third all-rounder option, providing depth in the batting lineup and an extra bowling option.
Shivam Dube was added to the India squad after Nitish Kumar Reddy was unavailable for the selection due to a knee injury sustained during the England Test series. Dube’s ability to contribute with the bat in the middle order and chip in with useful overs of medium pace makes him a valuable addition to the team.
If Team India management sticks with only two all-rounders, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, or Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh will be included as an extra batter in the playing XI.
Jitesh Sharma to get nod over Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson’s place in the team is uncertain as the reports suggested that the indication from India’s practice session in Dubai says Jitesh Sharma is likely to make it to the playing XI. When asked whether Samson will be included for India’s opener against the UAE, India T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav hilariously dodged the question, stating that the Kerala cricketer is being taken good care of by management and will make the right decision tomorrow.
As per the report by Press Trust of India (PTI), Samson was the first to enter the ground and had fielding drills under the guidance of fielding coach T Dilip. Thereafter, the Kerala cricketer had a long chat with head coach Gautam Gambhir, mostly about the batting.
Sanju Samson was a lonely figure during the batting session as Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Tilak Varma took turns in the middle.
Jitesh Sharma had more batting sessions compared to Sanju Samson since their first training session on Friday, indicating that the management might be leaning towards giving Jitesh the nod as the preferred wicketkeeper-batter for the UAE clash.
Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill to Open, Tilak Varma at No.3
In the last three T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were experimented with as openers, as Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were away from T20Is for a year to focus on red-ball cricket. In the Asia Cup 2025, the opening pair is likely to be changed, with Abhishek Sharma retaining his place at the top order and Shubman Gill set to return as his opening partner.
Gill made a surprise return to T20I as a vice-captain after being away from the format for a year to focus on red-ball cricket, especially the Test series against New Zealand, Australia, and England. In white-ball cricket, the 26-year-old is a top-order batsman and thus, his comeback at the top puts him back in his preferred role as an opener.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma is expected to play at No.3 in the line-up. He has played an instrumental role in the T20I series wins against South Africa and England. In the series against the Proteas, Tilak registered two consecutive T20I centuries, making him the second Indian batter to do so after Sanju Samson.
Varun Chakravarthy, a lone spin specialist
Since the Team India management is unlikely to pick Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy will be added as the lone spin specialist for the opening match against the UAE and is expected to lead India’s spin attack.
Varun has had an incredible comeback to international cricket since last year, picking up 31 wickets in 12 T20Is. He was part of Men in Blue’s title-winning campaign at the Champions Trophy 2025, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker with nine scalps. Chakravarthy is likely to be used in the middle order to restrict the opponent’s flow of runs.
Since Chakravarthy is likely to be included as a lone spin specialist, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana will be included as pace bowlers in the playing XI.
India’s likely playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube/Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh