India will begin their campaign against UAE on September 10.
India batting stalwart Ajinkya Rahane added fuel to the discussion around Sanju Samson ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. Rahane feels that Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the innings for India. Gill, who recently led India to a memorable series draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, returned to the T20I setup after a year. He is also named as Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy.
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Rahane wants Sanju Samson to continue as an opener for India, but believes that Gill will replace him at the top and open alongside Abhishek. As Gill is now India’s vice-captain, it is believed he will surely make it into the playing XI. He has enjoyed a huge success as an opener for India and in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Gujarat Titans (GT) batter was the fourth leading run-getter of the IPL 2025. He finished the season with 650 runs, averaging 50 at an impressive strike rate of 155.87. Hence, Gill replacing Samson is highly likely to happen, as India sees Abhishek as their sixth or seventh bowling option.
“Shubman is back in the team; I’m sure he is most likely to open with Abhishek Sharma. Personally, I would like to see Sanju Samson in the team because he has done really well. He is a very confident guy, a very good team man, and that is very important. Sanju is a great team man, but that is a very good problem to have for the team management. In my opinion, probably Sanju Samson will sit out, though, as I said, I would like him to play and be in the playing XI. But Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the innings for the team, said Rahane on his YouTube channel.
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Sanju Samson Will Miss Out According to Ajinkya Rahane
The Mumbaikar also highlighted his excitement about India’s pace attack, featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. Notably, it will be the first instance in which Bumrah and Arshdeep will play together in a T20I game since the World Cup triumph in 2024. While Bumrah was the most economical bowler (4.17 rpo) of the tournament, Arshdeep was the joint leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps.
“I’m excited to see Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh bowling together in this Asia Cup. We all know how dangerous Bumrah is,” said Rahane.
Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy/Harshit Rana.
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh.
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.
