 "Sanju Samson was included in the playing XI as India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to field against UAE in their Asia Cup opener. Image credit: AP/SonyLIV")
India finally snapped their losing streak in tosses on Wednesday as captain Suryakumar Yadav opted to field against the United Arab Emirates in their opening game of the 2025 Asia Cup. The Men in Blue had set a new world record by losing 15 tosses on the trot across formats – including all five matches in the recent Test series in England.
LIVE | India vs UAE, Asia Cup 2025, Match 2 in Dubai
Luck, however, was finally on Surya’s side on Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium as he invited the Muhammad Waseem-led UAE to bat.
Samson included in middle-order, Bumrah lone frontline pacer
As for the team combination, Sanju Samson was included in the Playing XI contrary to recent reports that suggested he would be left out. The Rajasthan Royals captain, however, was included in the middle order at No 6, with Test captain Shubman Gill slotting in as an opener alongside Abhishek Sharma.
Captain Surya and Tilak Varma bat at Nos 3 and 4 respectively, with Samson sandwiched between seam-bowling all-rounders Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya.
As for the bowling combination, Jasprit Bumrah has been included as the lone frontline pace option, with India opting for three-pronged spin department – wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy included alongside all-rounder Axar Patel.
India will be aiming to win the T20 version of the continental event for the second time in three editions, having previously won the inaugural edition in 2016 before failing to reach the final in the UAE six years later after losing against eventual champions Sri Lanka and runners-up Pakistan in the Super 4s.
The Men in Blue have been the standout team in the shortest format in the last couple of years, having won 28 matches out of 31 since the start of 2024 – including a couple of Super Over victories. The purple catch covers India’s victorious campaign in last year’s T20 World Cup, where the Rohit Sharma-led side ended an 11-year ICC trophy drought by beating South Africa in the final in Barbados.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIndia had been crowned champions the last time the Asia Cup took place in 2023, albeit in the ODI format, thrashing co-hosts Sri Lanka in the final by 10 wickets after bundling them out for a paltry 50.
India and UAE Playing XIs
India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy
UAE: Muhammad Waseem(c), Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra(wk), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh