New Delhi: India finally ended their losing streak in tosses as captain Suryakumar Yadav elected to field first against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, September 10.
The Men in Blue had set a world record of losing 15 consecutive tosses across all formats, including five Tests against England, which ended on August 4. Suryakumar Yadav was the last Indian captain to win a toss against England in the third T20I in January 2025. However, luck finally favoured India as the Men in Blue invited the hosts to bat first.
Sanju Samson is included in the middle-order, and Bumrah is the lone frontline pacer. Test captain Shubman Gill will open alongside Abhishek Sharma. Captain Suryakumar and Tilak Varma will bat at No. 3 and 4, respectively.
As for the bowling combination, Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam are three pace options, with the Men in Blue opting for three spinners, including wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy and all-rounder Axar Patel.
India will be aiming to win the T20 Asia Cup for the second time in three editions, having previously won the inaugural edition in 2016 before failing to reach the final in the UAE in 2021 after losing against eventual champions Sri Lanka and runners-up Pakistan in the Super 4s.
The Men in Blue performed brilliantly in the 20-over format in the last couple of years, winning 28 matches out of the 31 since the start of 2024. Rohit Sharma-led team also ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought by defeating South Africa in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados.
The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the Asia Cup after they won the tournament in 2023, thrashing Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final. The 2023 edition was played in the 50-over format.
India‘s playing XI against the UAE
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy