India ended the England tour on a positive note and defeated the host at the Oval to draw the series 2-2. The focus now shifts to the T20 format, where India will hunt for the Asia Cup 2025 title.
The tournament will be played in the UAE from September 9-28. India are clubbed with Pakistan, UAE, and Oman, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong compromise Group B. The Men in Blue will kick off the tournament against UAE on September 9 before playing Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19.
Two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4s, where all teams will face each other in the round robin format, and the top two teams will then play the final.
Given that the T20 World Cup is also not far away, the BCCI should name the best squad for the event. There are some doubts about whether captain Suryakumar Yadav would get fit in time for the Asia Cup, while Jasprit Bumrah is highly likely to get rested. These two players, if they miss the Asia Cup, will be in the scheme of things for the T20 World Cup.
According to reports, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sai Sudharsan are likely to make a cut to the squad. Shreyas Iyer is also likely to get picked after consistent performances for Team India. Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Dhruv Jurel could be the core of the batting. India are also likely to go in with a heavy all-round section, with Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar preferred choices. Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj could be the pacers, while Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy should be the two specialist spinners.
India’s Likely Squad For Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varme, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varaun Chakravaarthy, Mohammed Siraj