Why Is Rishabh Pant Not In India Playing XI for IND vs UAE Match in Asia Cup 2025?

India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 was declared a few weeks ago, and there was one prominent name missing from the list. Rishabh Pant, who was a part of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign in 2024, was not found in the 15-member squad. But this exclusion has nothing to do with his performance.

The 27-year-old Indian wicketkeeper-batter was injured during the fourth Test against England in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He was hit by a yorker from Chris Woakes on the outside part of his right foot. Pant, who played a vital part in the series for India, was ruled out of the fifth Test at The Oval. Despite the injury, he came out to bat in the second innings of the penultimate Test, showing immense courage.

Having said that, this injury became the reason the Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) skipper could not be included in the squad. Pant has been keeping his fans updated on his progress via regular posts on social media. It is safe to say that the Indian star is making consistent progress with respect to his recovery. But he will not recover in time for the Asian mega-event.

As of the coin toss at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India won the toss and chose to bowl first.

Playing XI for IND vs UAE

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (w), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (w), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique, and Simranjeet Singh.

Will the Injury Of Rishabh Pant Affect India’s Asia Cup 2025 Chances?

Though Rishabh Pant is crucial to India’s chances whenever he plays, his absence in the Asia Cup will not make much difference. Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are picked in the squad for the mega-event. Both players have enough firepower to attack the opposition. Had Pant been fit to play, one of Jitesh or Samson would not have been a part of the squad.

In India’s title triumph of the T20 World Cup 2024, Pant was the third-highest run-scorer after Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. He scored 171 runs with a highest score of 42.

In 76 T20Is for the Men in Blue, Pant has managed just three half-centuries. His strike rate of 127.26 also does not exhibit promise. So, India would not be missing a lot with respect to Pant’s absence. However, they would want him to recover for the home Test series against the West Indies, starting on October 2

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What Can the LSG Star Do to Thrive in the Shortest Format?

When Pant burst onto the scene, he was too focused on the leg-side, and bowlers used it to keep the ball outside his hitting arc. This kept Pant away from hitting his shots, and he would, in turn, throw his wicket away.

But since the last couple of years, Pant’s game has shown significant development. His reliance on the leg-side has reduced. Moreover, he has shown the ability to score boundaries on the offside. It is a dimension which was absent from his game earlier. The bowlers who used to strangle him with the slower deliveries now find it difficult to hold him inside the crease.

For Pant to up the ante in the shortest format, he will have to perform consistently. Out of all the formats, the T20 format is the one which suits his game more. Along with a robust defence, the left-handed batter has a great skill of playing unorthodox shots, which can rattle the discipline of the bowlers.

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