Samson stays in the shadows during practice, sparking speculation over Asia Cup playing XI: Report

India’s second practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai gave some early signs of how the team management is planning its playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025 . The Suryakumar Yadav-led side is slated to start their Asia Cup T20 campaign against the hosts UAE on September 10.

Ahead of the marquee ACC event, there is a lot of speculation about how India’s playing XI could shape up. Much of the focus is on Sanju Samson, whose place in the starting lineup is under doubt following Shubman Gill’s return to the T20 side as vice-captain.

Sanju Samson place still in doubt?

According to Cricbuzz, Sanju Samson remained under the shadow for most of the practice session on Saturday. This has raised fresh doubts about his place in the side. Samson reportedly did his warm-up sprints and had a short hit in the outfield, but after that he spent the evening sitting quietly on the sidelines.

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Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Jitesh Sharma, Rinku Singh, and Tilak Varma were given long batting sessions in the centre nets. Abhishek Sharma also had his share of batting practice and took part in some fielding drills. All-rounders Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel had short batting stints as well.

Hardik and Dube also bowled alongside premier fast bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh. Samson, however, got a shot batting session and there was no fielding practice for him. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, SKY and Gill were reportedly in deep conversation when Samson was hitting in the nets.

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The Indian cricket team arrived in Dubai earlier this week to acclimatise to the harsh weather conditions. They began their preparatory camp on Friday, September 5 and trained under Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel.

India are the designated hosts of the Asia Cup, but the tournament has been shifted to the UAE due to political tensions with another participating team, Pakistan. However, both sides will still meet in at least two games in the Asia Cup, with the possibility of a third clash if they reach the final.