Suryakumar Yadav-led India will face hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their Asia Cup 2025 campaigner opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on September 10, Wednesday. After facing UAE, India will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan and Oman on September 14 and 19 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively.
With a blend of seasoned campaigners and exciting young talent in the 15-member squad, captain Suryakumar and head coach have a wealth of options at their disposal for fielding a strong Indian playing XI at the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in the UAE.
When it comes to India’s bowling line-up, it features quality bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and others.
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At first glance, Bumrah may appear to be India’s main weapon at the Asia Cup 2025 former head coach Ravi Shastri feels it is Kuldeep who will play the most crucial role for the side, with the wrist-spinner operating at the peak of his powers.
“I think Kuldeep is at his peak now. He did extremely well in IPL and unfortunately, couldn’t make it to the team in the Tests in England because of the conditions and the strength that India have. But he will be a vital cog in the wheel in the Asia Cup and going forward along with Varun and Axar Patel,” Shastri told Times of India.
“If you have two wrist-spinners of that quality, I would love to have them in my side,” he added.
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Ravi Shastri On Shubman Gill’s Potential In All Three Formats
Notably, the 2025 Asia Cup will see the return of Shubman Gill, who last played a T20I for the country in July 2024. The 63-year-old Shastri believes Gill is destined to be a key pillar for India across formats, but stressed that the Test captain will need to adapt his game to succeed on the slower surfaces in Dubai.
“Gill has all the shots in the book. He gets the big scores. Just see his IPL record over the last few years. And especially after a tour of England, he will be on a high. But, in Dubai, the pitches could be slower and even the top shot-makers will have to adjust,” he said.
“Having said that, Gill will be a pillar of strength for Indian teams across formats for the next 10 years,” he added.
The former India head coach believes that the current Indian team is the side to beat – not only in the Asia Cup but in the T20 format as a whole.
“With the amount of IPL cricket being played, the confidence and the shot-making ability of some of the players is unbelievable. They are young, they have the exuberance of youth, and if they get good conditions, these guys can be real entertainers. They are quite clearly the team to beat,” he said.
India squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Pate, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
