Asia Cup 2025: Team India to Kick Off Campaign Against UAE in Dubai, Gill and Abhishek Likely to Open

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Team India is set to begin its Asia Cup 2025 campaign on Wednesday with its opening clash against the United Arab Emirates at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. This will be only the second T20 International encounter between the two sides—the first, back in 2016, was won comfortably by India by 9 wickets.

For the tournament opener, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are expected to open the innings, while Shivam Dube looks set to feature as the primary all-rounder. Wicketkeeping duties may fall to Jitesh Sharma, leaving Sanju Samson on the bench. Axar Patel is likely to slot in at number eight, while Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are in a close contest for a place in the playing XI.

UAE, on the other hand, will rely heavily on the batting of Muhammad Waseem and Asif Khan, with Haider Ali and Muhammad Rohid leading their bowling attack to challenge India’s strong batting line-up.

The Dubai surface has a tinge of grass, offering some advantage to pacers early on. While India went spin-heavy during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, this game may see fast bowlers playing a bigger role. Weather conditions are expected to be extreme, with daytime temperatures peaking at 42°C and hovering around 36°C at match time. The team winning the toss is likely to opt for bowling first, and rain is not forecast.

India’s squad includes stars such as captain Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Rinku Singh, alongside young guns Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma.

India Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Sanju Samson, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh.

UAE Squad: Muhammad Waseem (C), Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (WK), Asif Khan, Muhammad Zuhaib, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Javad Ullah, Sagir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Matiullah Khan, Ethan D’Souza, Simranjeet Singh.