Perhaps the most exciting part about a series is the debate around the probable squad.. who should be in, and who should be out. The Asia Cup 2025 is no different. The tournament is a month away now, and there are a host of reports circulating already. From what we know currently is, Test skipper Shubman Gill is set to be back in the T20I fold, albeit as the vice-captain, Shreyas Iyer will be back to, after two solid IPL seasons, and all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is out due to an injury.
Shivam Dube vs Rinku Singh
So, does that mean, India would go for someone like a Shivam Dube, along with Hardik Pandya, just to get a bit of an extra cushion, when it comes to fast-bowling all-rounders? Well, the team management and Gautam Gambhir certainly prefer players who have both skillsets, but then that ploy is totally avoidable. Instead, the team can go with a specialist batter in Rinku Singh.
It is not to suggest that Rinku has been excellent — but Indian team is already full of all-rounders. In all probability, apart from Hardik Pandya, the team will have Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Abhishek Sharma too, so what’s the need of another one? And if all there is a need, where would you fit in Shivam Dube?
Who’ll Make it to India Squad for Asia Cup 2025?
Look, no matter who is picked between Dube and Rinku, they will most likely warm the bench, so why not go with a specialist then. Let us also talk numbers now. Dube scored 357 runs in 14 outings for CSK at an average of 32, in IPL 2025. He did not pick any wickets. On the other hand, Rinku scored 206 in 13 outings at an average of 29.
But that said, the KKR man has better India numbers. In 33 matches, he has scored 546 runs at an average of 42, and a strike-rate of 161. Whereas, Dube has scored 531 in 35 clashes at an average of 31. So, even though it’s a close call between the two, Rinku as a pure batter, adds more value in the middle-order than Dube.
But eventually, the final call is to be taken by the management, and all the guess-work could go haywire, when it comes to actual picking of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad.
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