Jasprit Bumrah IN, 2 Players OUT; Shubman Gill Returns: India's Likely Squad For Asia Cup 2025 (Source: AP)
It's rare to see multiple India vs Pakistan matches in a year but 2025 will be an exception as the teams are set to clash multiple times. The teams recently faced each other during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 where India picked up a comprehensive win. It was a one-sided affair that left the fans craving for more.
The teams could once again lock horns during the Asia Cup 2025 which is all set to be played in September, according to a CricBuzz report. It'll be an eight-team event, with India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Hong Kong, and Nepal as participants. The teams will be clubbed into two groups of four teams and the top two teams from each group will move into the next round - Super 4s. India and Pakistan are likely to be clubbed in the same group and if both qualify from the group, they will face each other again in Super 4s and possibly in the final as well.
The tournament will be played in the T20 format so India's squad will be very different from the one that is featuring in the ICC Champions Trophy. The tournament will serve as a preparation for the T20 World Cup next year so India are likely to step in with the strongest possible squad.
The team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. The likes of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been kept on the sidelines in T20Is given the fierce competition but they may find a place back in the team due to the significance of the tournament. Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh could be other batters in the team. Sanju Samson has done remarkably well for India but it'll be interesting to see if he is retained in the squad when the big guns return. It's a bit unfair on Samson but has been the case with him for a while now. Also, he did not have a great series against England so a lot will depend on how his IPL goes. Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Reddy, who were part of the squad for England T20Is, might have to make way for the returning stars.
Hardik Pandya should be the lone fast bowling all-rounder while Axar Patel and Washington Sundar could be the spin all-rounders. India are likely to go in with a heavy spin attack so Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav should be in the squad as well. As for the pacers, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to make a comeback and should have Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Mohammed Shami for the company.
India's Likely Squad For Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar
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