India cricket team will take on UAE in their Asia Cup 2025 tournament opener on September 10 in Dubai. The Men in Blue, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, will be forced to make some hard decisions with respect to selecting their playing XI for the game. Some unfortunate misses could incluude that of Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh among others.
Predicted India XI vs UAE in Asia Cup opener
| Postion | Player | Role |
| 1. | Abhishek Sharma | Opener |
| 2. | Shubman Gill (VC) | Opener |
| 3. | Tilak Varma | Batter |
| 4. | Suryakumar Yadav (C) | Batter |
| 5. | Axar Patel | All-rounder |
| 6. | Hardik Pandya | All-rounder |
| 7. | Jitesh Sharma (WK) | Keeper-batter |
| 8. | Kuldeep Yadav | Spinner |
| 9. | Varun Chakravathy | Spinner |
| 10. | Arshdeep Singh | Pacer |
| 11. | Jasprit Bumrah | Pacer |
No Sanju Samson
Despite the Kerala-batter essaying the role of an opener in T20Is in the last year, he is likely to sit out as Shubman Gill will open the innings with Abhishek. The vice-captain has only essayed the role of an opener in all T20Is that he has played so far. Despite Samson’s prolific form in the past year, it is highly likely that he will be left to warm the bench while designated finisher Jitesh Sharma is picked in the XI. The number 3 spot is unavialable for Sanju as Team India would wan Varma at that spot instead – a position where Sanju has less experience in T20Is. Besides, Sanju is also reportedly boggled with fitness concerns before the start of the tournament.
3-spinner combo
Given the conditions in Dubai, where India will play their Asia Cup opener against UAE, they are likely to play three spinners. This might probabl include specialists Varun and Kuldeep apart from all-rounder Axar. While Kuldeep was last part of the T20I setup back in the T20 World Cup 2024 final, the other two have been consistent performers for India in the white-ball format.
Bumrah over Harshit
There has been a lot of debate over if Bumrah should be picked in the playing XI for the game against UAE. Considered a Test asset, the ace pacer was picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup despite sitting out of two Tests against England. However, India might want to unleash their ultimate T20I weapon, especially since he has had a good 3 weeks worth of rest after the England series. This might mean that Harshit Rana will warm the bench for a couple of conests while Bumrah will partner Arshdeep, while Hardik plays the role of the third pacer against UAE.
Dube, Rinku, Rana out
Dube and Rinku will have no roles in the playing XI if the aforementioned stars are selected. Considered an all-rounder apart from being a finisher, Shivam’s services as an extra pacer won’t be needed for India if they already have three fast-bowlers in the line-up and Jitesh to execute the role of a finisher. That alsp means Rinku might have to sit out, as he has been included in the squad as an extra batter. As for Rana, he will have to wait for his chance if India decide to unleash their ultimate pace weapon in the tournament opener.
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