India vs UAE: Asia Cup 2025 T20 Opener – Live Blog

India Wins Toss, Chooses to Bowl

India finally broke their toss-losing streak—winning for the first time in 16 attempts across formats. Captain Suryakumar Yadav decided to bowl first against UAE, citing potential dew in the second innings under the humid Dubai conditions.

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said he also would have preferred to bowl first and believed there might be some early help for his seamers.

Surprising Team Selection by India

India made some interesting calls with their playing XI:

Sanju Samson retained his spot as the wicketkeeper, despite Shubman Gill returning to open the batting. Samson moved to the middle order—usually Jitesh Sharma’s position.

Both wristspinners—Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy—have been included, which is rare.

To strengthen the batting depth, Shivam Dube was picked ahead of an extra frontline pacer like Arshdeep Singh or Harshit Rana.

Jasprit Bumrah is the sole specialist fast bowler. Hardik Pandya is expected to share the new ball.

UAE Make One Change

UAE brought in offspinning allrounder Dhruv Parashar, dropping legspinner Muhammad Farooq after their loss to Afghanistan in the recent tri-series.

Playing XIs

India XI:

Abhishek Sharma

Shubman Gill

Suryakumar Yadav (captain)

Tilak Varma

Sanju Samson (wk)

Shivam Dube

Hardik Pandya

Axar Patel

Kuldeep Yadav

Varun Chakravarthy

Jasprit Bumrah

UAE XI:

Muhammad Zohaib

Muhammad Waseem (captain)

Asif Khan

Alishan Sharafu

Rahul Chopra (wk)

Dhruv Parashar

Harshit Kaushik

Haider Ali

Muhammad Rohid

Junaid Siddique

Simranjeet Singh

Will India Play Both Wristspinners?

Before the match, there were doubts about whether Kuldeep Yadav would make the XI. Our correspondent Shashank Kishore suggested Kuldeep might sit out, given India’s balance issues. But with both Varun and Kuldeep in the team, it shows:

India values spin options in Dubai conditions.

Varun Chakravarthy has made a strong comeback.

India's lack of bowlers who can also bat remains a key concern.

The No. 8 spot is going to be closely watched throughout this tournament.

India Return After a Break, UAE Aim to Compete

It’s been over a month since India last played, after their historic win at The Oval on August 4. Now, they begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign in T20 format, even though they were the defending champions in the ODI version in 2023. (Sri Lanka won the last T20 Asia Cup in 2022.)

What’s at Stake?

India are seen as clear favourites, but UAE have shown fight recently—especially in the tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan. They came close but couldn’t secure a win. Can today be different?

Final Thoughts

India’s strong line-up and smart selections make them favourites, but UAE will be hoping for a historic upset. Follow our blog for live updates, expert analysis, and post-match reactions.