Exclusive | 'T20 game is on the day within matters of one over...': Sri Lanka great picks India as favourites to win Asia Cup 2025

Former Sri Lanka cricketer Farveez Maharoof picked Suryakumar Yadav-led India as the hot favourites to win the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The mega event is scheduled to start from September 9 where Afghanistan will face Hong Kong in the tournament opener.

Defending champions India, who are placed in group A, alongside Pakistan, UAE and Oman, will start their campaign the next day against the UAE. The high-voltage clash between India and Pakistan will take place on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

In the exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Maharoof said that on paper, India are the strongest side in the Asia Cup; however, in T20Is, one good over is enough to change the game.

"India, what I said, because of the side that they have, you know it, though they didn't win the last Asia Cup, which was played in T20I format. They won the 50 of Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, so on papers, certainly think India are the favourites, but T20 game is on the day within matters of one over, things can change, so it's just a matter of how and how well you play on a particular day" Farveez Maharoof told Sports Tak on the sidelines of the Champions League T10 tennis ball tournament happening in Noida.

The Men in Blue defeated Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, South Africa and England in T20Is since the T20 World Cup 2024. India's last T20I series defeat came against the West Indies in August 2023.

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Maroof also opened up on Sri Lanka's downfall in T20Is and believes that the side will surely bounce back in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025.

"I think after 23 Sri Lanka did win some bilateral series back in Sri Lanka. Even in 23, before the Asia Cup, they lost, but they won some bilateral series. Yeah, I mean, considering a few years down the line, there has been a break in form, losing more games, and consistency was a problem. But lately, I think for the last one and a half years or so, the team has done decently well. But the real challenge is to win away from home. So that's where I think the team is targeting. So I would call it a downfall. Yes, there was a downfall. There was a recovery. And they got the players. They got the right people leading the side. And I just hope that from the Cup, things will start even better than before" added Farveez Maharoof

Sri Lanka are placed in Group B alongside Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The island nation will start their campaign against Bangladesh on September 13.

India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.