India’s T20I revolution will land on Gulf shores when the Men in Blue face off against UAE in their Asia Cup 2025 opener. Suryakumar Yadav’s side have embraced a high-octane approach since Gautam Gambhir’s arrival. UAE meanwhile will hope to put up a fight on Wednesday. They came close to an upset in their recent tri-series vs Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Shubman Gill returns to India’s T20I revolution
India have chased an all out attack mantra under coach Gautam Gambhir. Abhishek Sharma at the top has lead the charge. The left-hander will now have Shubman Gill for company, who will replace Sanju Samson at the top of the order. Despite 3 centuries in the last 12 months, the Kerala wicket-keeper is set to be on the fringes. Jitesh Sharma will don the gloves.
Jasprit Bumrah returns to the t20i side for the first time since the T20 World Cup triumph. And while India’s strength is undeniable, it will be their first major tournament post the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. A good start against UAE will do wonders for their confidence with the game against Pakistan on the horizon.
For UAE, it is a chance to stand up to India’s might. The Gulf nation did not win a game in their recent tri-series in 4 attempts. However, Waseem and Co came close more than once, only to fizzle out. Should the conditions favour, the ‘hosts’ could be a handful to the Men in Blue. A surprise in Dubai cannot be ruled out.
India vs UAE pitch report
The surface at Dubai is expected to surprise. During the Champions Trophy earlier this year, it favoured spin heavily, with India opting to only play Mohammed Shami as the lone front line pacer. The surfaces for the Asia Cup 2025 have a tinge of grass and could play out well for the batters. The surface should hold together and fast bowlers could get more pace and bounce.
India vs UAE Probable Playing XIs
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh.
UAE: Muhammad Waseem, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra, 4 Asif Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Zohaib, /Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid
IND vs UAE Live streaming details
Fans in India can watch the Asia Cup matches on television on the Sony Sports Network. The matches will be live streamed on the SonyLIV website and the mobile application.
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