Asia cup 2025: Today, in the Asia Cup 2025, the match between India and the UAE will be played at the International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. The only match between India and UAE in T20 International was in 2016, in which India won by 9 wickets. There are expectations for Suryakumar Yadav and his team about this match, but the grass layer of Dubai pitch has increased the tension of the Indian team. The team management is confused about how many spinners and how many fast bowlers should be fielded in the first match. Playing 11 is getting involved in finding the correct combination.
Lack of practice in Dubai
Dubai International Cricket Stadium has always been considered mysterious. Sometimes batsmen dominate here, sometimes bowlers. This time the difficulty is that the players did not get a chance to practice here. Last week, Team India was practicing at the ICC Academy after reaching Dubai. The team got a chance to watch the pitch a day before the match. Bowling coach Morne Morkel said that there is a layer of grass on the pitch, and it has made team selection more difficult.
Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma, who will be wicketkeeper?
A big question is who will be the wicketkeeper in today’s match – Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma? Any player who will do wicketkeeping is very likely that he will take over the same responsibility till the next match. Sanju Samson had been opening for a long time, but after Shubman Gill came to the team, he will have to bat in a lower order. At the same time, according to reports, Jitesh Sharma has practiced more wicket keeping, which can also increase Sanju’s chances of sitting on the bench.
Number 8 position became headache
The biggest challenge for India is about number 8 position. Shivam Dubey can be selected for this position, who is also bowling on the nets. Or Arshadeep Singh or Harshit Rana, along with Jaspreet Bumrah, can be landed as 2 main fast bowlers, and Hardik Pandya can be given his entire 4 overs. Abhishek Sharma has been trying as the sixth bowler for some time. Morkel said that the captain gets more options due to the all -rounder, so the team is considering all possible combinations.
India will select its playing 11 against UAE keeping in mind the upcoming match against Pakistan. There is a possibility that Team India will not make any major change in this match. Bowling coach Morkel said that we are keeping all the options open, and a final decision will be taken according to the situation on the day of the match. He also said, “The aim of our team is that captain Suryakumar Yadav has more options, so that the right combination can be chosen under any circumstances.
