India will kickstart their campaign in the 2025 Asia Cup on Wednesday (September 10) at the Dubai International Stadium against the host country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a Group A Fixture before the blockbuster clash against Pakistan on Sunday (September 14).
With the Men in Blue playing a T20I after a gap of seven months, the team’s playing XI will be interesting to see. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side has decided not to rock the boat of a successful team, but Shubman Gill’s return after being rested from the shortest format last year will force a chance at the top of the order.
With the vice-captain opening the batting for the team, the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will be broken. While it will be a big surprise if Samson does not retain his spot as a number one wicket-keeper, he will bat lower down the order at either number three or five.
Tilak Verma, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and star all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel will form a strong middle order. India’s willingness for batting depth is well known, and this will mean an extra batter, which should mean a spot for Rinku Singh, with Abhishek allowing the team to have a sixth bowling option.
Kuldeep Yadav vs Arshdeep Singh?
This leaves a spot for three specialist bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah’s selection a no-brainer. Varun Chakravarthy has been a revelation since his comeback in October last year, and he will be picked too.
The last remaining spot will be a toss-up between Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh. In their last assignment in the shortest format against England, the Men in Blue played with just one specialist pacer and used Hardik as the second fast-bowler.
With the pitches expected to be slow and help spinners, Kuldeep is likely to get the nod.
India Likely XI For UAE Clash: Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Tilak Verma, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy