India have reached Dubai and started training for the upcoming Asia Cup. Following the inclusion of Shubman Gill, the batting order seems complicated at the moment. Here’s how the Indian team can possibly line-up in the marquee continental tournament.
The upcoming Asia Cup 2025 will begin on September 9, with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong. India will start their campaign on the following day, against UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. A few days later, on September 14, the Suryakumar Yadav-led side will challenge Pakistan, and their last group game is against Oman on September 19.
The Indian team have already started their practice session in Dubai, which raised multiple speculations about the batting order. Notably, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have done a commendable job at the top of the order, but with the return of Shubman Gill, things have gotten complicated. The 25-year-old is named the vice-captain of the side, which indicates that he is a guaranteed starter for India.
It means Samson will have to bat somewhere down the order as Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are likely to bat at number four. It might force the keeper-batter to bat at number five, or else Axar Patel can feature in that position and Hardik Pandya can play at number six. That will leave the door open for Jitesh Sharma to bat at seven.
Bowling department looks sorted
The bowling department, meanwhile, looks sorted, with Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy being the frontline spinners. Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace department. It needs to be seen if Bumrah features in all the matches in the Asia Cup, as the team management will look forward to managing his workload against some relatively weaker teams.
Harshit Rana can be the third pacer, as it will prolong Indiaโs batting department and bring sone stability in the mix.
Indiaโs probable playing XI – Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy