It has been an unusually quiet buildup to the Asia Cup for India despite a T20 World Cup campaign at home looming in February-March next year. While Pakistan and Bangladesh have crammed in 19 and 15 T20Is, respectively, into their calendars since the Champions Trophy in March, and Sri Lanka has also warmed up with six T20Is in the last two months, India has featured in all of five T20 games in 2025.
As many as 12 members of India’s 15-member squad last featured in an international match in February-March, which straddled the T20Is against England at home and the Champions Trophy. The duo that has played for India more recently—Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah—has been away from T20Is for more than a year. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma is staging a comeback after representing the national side last in January 2024.
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But India still starts as the favourite to clinch the continental title, and its Asia Cup campaign opener against the host United Arab Emirates (UAE) allows Suryakumar Yadav’s men to ease into the rhythm of the format. They arrived in Dubai on Thursday and held three practice sessions in the stifling heat that has engulfed the metropolis in temperatures hovering between 42 and 52 degrees Celsius late into the afternoon.
Besides the lack of game time and the heat, a new T20I team combination may also need getting used to. Much has been made of Gill’s return to the format and his appointment as vice-captain, which virtually cements his position in the playing XI. His inclusion has put Sanju Samson’s spot as opener, alongside Abhishek Sharma, in jeopardy, despite the batter from Kerala notching up the second-most runs (487) for India at a scorching strike rate of 171.47 since the T20 World Cup last year.
Much has been made of Gill’s return to the format and his appointment as vice-captain, which virtually cements his position in the playing XI.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Much has been made of Gill’s return to the format and his appointment as vice-captain, which virtually cements his position in the playing XI.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Going by the clues the training sessions have thrown up, Samson could also lose the race for the wicketkeeper’s spot to Jitesh Sharma, who has been out-of-favour since January last year and only got a second wind after a stellar campaign with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as a lower-order finisher in the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.
“We are taking really good care of him (Samson). Don’t worry, we will make the right decision tomorrow,” Suryakumar addressed the ‘Samson question’ jokingly, as if to assuage the concerns of the large diaspora from Kerala in the city, which may be eager to have a glimpse of its ‘local’ hero.
Perplexing conditions
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has thrown up different challenges. During its triumphant Champions Trophy campaign here earlier this year, India played two specialist seamers in Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana, while Kuldeep Yadav was the lone frontline spinner in the first two games. Varun Chakaravarthy joined Kuldeep in a two-pronged spin attack from the third game onwards and opted for Shami and Hardik Pandya to shoulder the pace department, without the cushion of a second specialist seamer.
With the pitch sporting an uncharacteristic sprinkling of green on match eve, India could revert to a single-man spin unit. For what it’s worth, Kuldeep was conspicuously absent from the optional practice session held at the ICC Academy on Tuesday, while Arshdeep Singh had an hour-long hit in the open nets.
If Arshdeep partners Bumrah and plays as the second seamer, it remains to be seen whether that move comes at the cost of batting depth (Arshdeep at No. 8) or a spinner.
If Arshdeep Singh (L) partners Jasprit Bumrah and plays as the second seamer, it remains to be seen whether that move comes at the cost of batting depth (Arshdeep at No. 8) or a spinner.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
If Arshdeep Singh (L) partners Jasprit Bumrah and plays as the second seamer, it remains to be seen whether that move comes at the cost of batting depth (Arshdeep at No. 8) or a spinner.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
If one reads into the training held on the eve of the match, Varun, who took catching practice and rolled his arm over, could get a look-in ahead of Kuldeep if India fields just one spinner in the XI.
Exorcising ghosts
Though the contest against the UAE offers some wiggle room, India would do well not to tinker too much with its lineup, considering it has been pushed close by less-fancied teams such as Afghanistan and Hong Kong in the past in this tournament.
Though it inordinately relies on the power-hitting of skipper Muhammad Waseem and lower-order batter Asif Khan, and Haider Ali’s left-arm spin, the UAE has strung together strong performances of late. It took the fight to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the tri-series held in Sharjah ahead of the Asia Cup after coming from behind to beat Bangladesh 2-1 in a T20I series in May.
India has had a poor track record in T20I tournaments held in the UAE, with the team exiting early at the World Cup in 2021 and the Asia Cup in 2022, and Suryakumar would want to put those memories to bed in his first multi-team event as captain.
With the conditions hot and humid, and T20I results here since 2021 favouring the chasing team 20 to 11, the toss could be crucial.
Published on Sep 09, 2025
