Shubman Gill To Open, Sanju Samson Dropped; India's Probable XI For Asia Cup Match Vs UAE

Shubman Gill will likely replace Samson as opener [Source: AFP]

India will cross swords against the United Arab Emirates in their Asia Cup 2025 opener on September 10, Wednesday. The high-voltage encounter will take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium. 

Led by Suryakumar Yadav, India are placed in Group-A and will face UAE, Oman and Pakistan in the league stage of the tournament. As the Men in Blue gear up for the mega event, let's analyse and find out their probable combination for the first match against the UAE. 

Top Order: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma

Sanju Samson rejuvenated his T20I career after India utilised him at the opening slot following Rohit Sharma's retirement. Although he has smashed three centuries as opener, Samson will likely lose his spot to Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma due to the following reasons. 

Shubman Gill is India's vice-captain: India recalled Punjab batter Shubman Gill for the Asia Cup, appointing him as their vice-captain in T20Is. It's quite clear that India sees Gill as their long-term captaincy option across formats. So, he will likely get all the Asia Cup matches to showcase his batting mettle, especially keeping the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind. 

Gambhir's strategy to keep LHB-RHB option: India's head coach Gautam Gambhir believes in the traditional tactic of unsettling opponents with a left-right batting combination. So, with Gill likely to replace Samson as the right-hander, destructive opener Abhishek Sharma is expected to retain his place at the top order. 

Tilak Varma Likely To Pip Samson At 3

(A comparison of Tilak and Samson at 3 in T20Is)

As shown in the above table, Tilak Varma has a much better record than Sanju Samson at number three for India in T20Is. Also, Tilak, being a left-handed batter and having cemented his place at three before the Asia Cup, is likely to start at that position in the tournament. 

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Middle Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel

Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel are obvious choices due to their stature and performance in T20Is over the years. While Surya's range and aggressive mentality makes him India's most valuable batter, Pandya and Axar bring all-round expertise to the table. 

Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma is expected to be preferred over Sanju Samson for the wicket-keeper's role due to following reason. 

(Samson as middle order batter vs Jitesh as IPL 2025 finisher)

• The above stats suggest that Samson hasn't quite nailed the finisher's role for India in T20Is. On the other hand, Jitesh Sharma was magnificent as a middle order batter for RCB, playing a pivotal role in their title-winning campaign. 
• So, it will be a purely experimental move if India prefer Samson over Jitesh for a middle-order batter's role, with Gill, Abhishek and Tilak occupying the top-order slots. In such a scenario, it seems quite likely that India will get Jitesh in and bench Samson for the inaugural game. 

Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav

(Stats of India's frontline bowlers in T20Is)

• Ace speedster Jasprit Bumrah will be India's frontline fast bowler across phases. Besides opening the bowling, Bumrah is expected to be the wrecker-in-chief for the Men in Blue in the death overs. 
• Meanwhile, Arshdeep Singh is likely to pip Harshit Rana for the second seamer's role due to his experience and left-arm angle. He can swing the ball up front and nail yorkers at will to trouble the opponents. 
• On the other hand, India have a tendency to keep six bowling options in T20Is. So, with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel chipping in with crucial overs, both Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav might play ahead of a specialist batter and empower India with a formidable bowling attack. 

India's Probable Playing XI vs UAE: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

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