Suryakumar Yadav-led India have kicked off their preparations for the 2025 Asia Cup, scheduled to kick off on September 9. Four days before the start of the tournament, the Indian players hit the field in Dubai.
The players kicked off the training under the watchful eyes of head coach, Gautam Gambhir. India have entered the tournament as the defending champions and will aim to defend the title.. The Rohit Sharma-led side defeated Sri Lanka in the 2023 Asia Cup to lift the trophy after 5 years.
Suryakumar will lead India in the Asia Cup for the first time. He will be assisted by Shubman Gill, who made his return to the T20I team. Shubman hasn’t played a T20I since July 2024.
Why 2025 Asia Cup will be played in T20I format?
Unlike the 2023 Asia Cup, this year’s tournament will be played in the T20 format. This is due to the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in February and March. The Asia Cup wil give all teams an opportunity to prepare for the all-important event.
In 206, the ACC organised the Asia Cup in the T20 format for the first time. The T20 Asia Cup made its return in 2022. India won the tournament in 2016 while Sri Lanka were crowned the champions six years later.
Why Rohit Sharma won’t play 2025 Asia Cup?
Rohit Sharma, who captained India to a title win in the 2023 Asia Cup, will not be part of the upcoming tournament despite not completely retiring from international cricket. Rohit quit T20I cricket after leading India to a title win in the 2024 World Cup.
Virat Kohli will also not be part of the tournament as he has also retired from the shortest format. Apart from them, Ravindra Jadeja will also skip the all-important tournament. Virat and Rohit are active in ODIs while Jadeja, apart from ODIs, also plays Test cricket.