In about four days from now, Team India will begin their march to defend the Asia Cup crown. For the first time since 2004, India will play the Asia Cup without either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli. Both the legends retired last year and since then, this team has been on a renaissance. The Gautam Gambhir-Suryakumar Yadav duo has been doing wonders, with Indian batting being the leaders in aggressive batting. The boundary percentage has shot up and caution has been elevated to combat.
Due to the completion of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and a five-match Test series against England, India have managed to play just five T20 internationals in 2025 so far. All those five games came against the Three Lions at home, a bilateral series that India won 4-1. With the Asia Cup starting soon, let us look back at how the Indian batters performed in that series and rate them accordingly. Note: Only T20Is are considered, and not all T20 games.
Abhishek Sharma
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 279
- Highest Score: 135
- Average: 55.80
- Strike Rate: 219.68
- 50/100: 1/1
Abhishek Sharma turned the heat up against England. He not only clamoured a fantastic century but also left a huge impact that he is now even considered in India’s all-time T20I team, as per Dinesh Karthik. After an iffy 2024, Abhishek went all guns blazing and hammered 279 runs across five games as an opener. It started with a 34-ball 79 in Kolkata and ended with the highest individual score by an Indian in T20I. He hit a magnificent 54-ball 135 against England at the Wankhede Stadium. It guided him to become the best-ranked T20I batter as well. Now, he would hope for an even better Asia Cup, his maiden multi-nation event for India.
Tilak Varma
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 133
- Highest Score: 72*
- Average: 44.33
- Strike Rate: 131.68
- 50/100: 1/0
Here comes Tilak Varma, who has been a star at number three. Although he has had a quiet year so far, Tilak played a gem of a knock in Chennai. Chasing a tricky target on a bowling-friendly track, Tilak stood like a wall and made 72 when no one from his team even made 27. It was a Kohli-esque innings from him, showcasing that he mould himself according to any situation.
Sanju Samson
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 51
- Highest Score: 26
- Average: 10.20
- Strike Rate: 118.60
- 50/100: 0/0
Sanju Samson perhaps had the worst series of his career. Across all five games against England, he searched for runs and form, with England pacers peppering him with bouncers. He averaged a mere 10.20 and scored just 51 runs. However, what was fascinating to see was Samson’s approach. It never changed. Despite battling for form, he did something extraordinary. He hit Jofra Archer, who was bowling with searing pace, for a dangerous six. It showed the selflessness of Samson and the aggressive mentality of this team.
Rinku Singh
- Innings: 2
- Runs: 39
- Highest Score: 30
- Average: 19.50
- Strike Rate: 121.87
- 50/100: 0/0
It came as a bit of a surprise when Rinku Singh was selected in India’s Asia Cup squad over the likes of Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar. Regardless, he is one of the few finishers in the team who can change the momentum of a game with even a 5-ball cameo. This year, he has got just two chances to bat, where he made 30 in one of those. The sample size isn’t great to judge but Rinku would be desperate to prove a point.
Suryakumar Yadav
- Innings: 5
- Runs: 28
- Highest Score: 14
- Average: 5.60
- Strike Rate: 116.66
- 50/100: 0/0
Here comes the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, who endured an awful series against England. Similar to Samson, Suryakumar was amongst the worst batters in the series, scoring a total of 28 runs at an average of 5.60, including two ducks. However, what was heartening to see was Suryakumar’s performance in IPL 2025. He ended his bad patch with authority, ending up as the Player of the Tournament at IPL 2025 with 717 runs for the Mumbai Indians.
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