The Asia Cup 2025 will be played in the T20 format, with the tournament kicking off on September 9 in Dubai. Team India begins its campaign a day later, on September 10, against the UAE at the Dubai International Stadium.
With the squad already announced, the focus has now shifted to what India’s playing XI could look like in the opener. Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, while speaking to Sports Today, shared his preferred line-up for the match.
Gavaskar’s chosen XI
Sunil Gavaskar’s playing XI features Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma as openers, followed by Tilak Verma and skipper Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order.
Sanju Samson finds a place as wicketkeeper-batter, while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel provide the all-round balance. In the bowling department, Gavaskar opted for Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakraborty, Arshdeep Singh, and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Notably, Gavaskar left out Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube. His India XI for Asia Cup drew attention for including both Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson, with the batting legend suggesting Samson could play a crucial role in the middle-lower order.
Sunil Gavaskar’s India XI for Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
“Sanju Samson can still be in the team as somebody batting down the order. He can bat at 5 or 6. He shouldn’t be left out, after all he’s the wicket-keeper. Sanju is a very gifted player, he can adapt,” said Gavaskar. “He is used to batting down the order, we shouldn’t be too worried about him, he’s a class act.”
India’s upcoming fixtures
After the opener against UAE, India will lock horns with Pakistan on September 14 at the same venue. Their final group-stage match is scheduled against Oman on September 19.
India’s 15-member squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson (WK), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakraborty, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
