The eight-team subcontinental tournament will kickstart on September 9.
After a hard-earned draw in the latest five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India have set their eyes on the next assignment of the ACC Asia Cup 2025. The eight-team subcontinental tournament will kickstart on September 9, with India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, kicking off their campaign on the following day against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
With newly appointed Test skipper Shubman Gill’s inclusion as captain Surya’s deputy in India’s 20-over squad, the 25-year-old is set to open the innings with his ICC Under-19 World Cup 2018 teammate, Abhishek Sharma. However, both of their current form could be a concern.
Gill was at his peak in the latest Test series, as he broke several records and notched up a massive 754 runs at an average of 75.40, including four hundreds and a highest score of 269, in his debut series as the captain. Following the magnificent overseas tour, he was also set to lead the North Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025. But the batter missed participating in the prestigious domestic tournament due to illness.
His swashbuckling opening partner, Abhishek, who has set the stage on fire with 535 runs in 16 T20I innings at a fierce strike rate of 193.84, also coming on the back of an average Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The INR 14 crore recruit of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) scored only 165 runs in 11 matches, except for a ton (141) and two half-centuries (74 and 59) in the IPL 2025.
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India’s T20I captain Suryakumar is set to feature in this multinational tournament after recovering from his sports hernia surgery in June 2025. The team’s former vice-captain, Axar Patel, would also be in action since the finger injury sidelined the Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper for their final two group-stage fixtures in the IPL 2025. Notably, Tilak Varma, who registered four successive unbeaten scores, including two hundreds and a half-century in his last seven fixtures, has also struggled to find his form in the IPL 2025.
The Mumbai Indians (MI) batter put up just 343 runs in 16 matches at a sub-par strike rate of 138.31. Amidst these, Surya’s adaptability and performance would be crucial for India in a bid to defend their Asia Cup title. Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane also opined the same while speaking about the 34-year-old’s captaincy ahead of the marquee event.
“Didn’t have a good series against England, but came back to form in IPL with five fifties and finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with a healthy strike rate. As a captain, he has been fantastic, but I feel, in this Asia Cup, his batting will be really important, especially after the surgery,” stated Rahane on his YouTube channel.
Previously, former Pakistani batter Bazid Khan had also criticised the Indian skipper for his poor record against the arch-rivals. The versatile striker has scored only 64 runs in five matches against Pakistan at a below-par strike rate of 118.51. However, the player would want to resume where he left off in the IPL 2025 to make a strong turnaround of these abysmal stats.
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