'Just pick the best openers, best finishers, and the rest can...': India's domestic stalwart's key advice for Men in Blue's Asia Cup 2025 squad

Former cricketer and India's domestic stalwart Priyank Panchal came up with an advice for India's Asia Cup 2025 squad as Men in Blue is gearing up for the showpiece tournament. Priyank Panchal, who amassed 8856 runs in First Class cricket before retiring, stressed on the importance of a strong opening and finishing lineup. The tournament, which will take place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28, will see India return to the T20I format after a six-month hiatus. According to Panchal, the team should focus on selecting the best players for these crucial roles, while the rest of the batting order can be flexible and adapted to specific match situations.

India last played a T20 International in February 2025, where they secured a dominant 4-1 series victory over England at home. England's struggles continued throughout their tour of India, where they lost seven out of eight white-ball matches. The team's poor form persisted into the Champions Trophy, where they were unable to secure a single win in the group stage, losing all three of their games.

Priyank Panchal's advice for India's Asia Cup 2025 squad

With India's new Test captain reportedly in contention for the Asia Cup squad, alongside recent top-order regulars like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma, the final Playing XI will be a point of keen interest. The team management will have some difficult decisions to make as they shape the squad for their title defense.

“I think we obsess too much over batting positions in T20s for the sake of endless discussions and analysis. Just pick the best openers, best finishers, and the rest can float around as per the situation,” wrote Panchal in his ‘Ask Me Anything' session on ‘X' on Sunday.

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India, the defending champions, are in Group A for the upcoming Asia Cup. Their campaign begins with a match against UAE on September 10, followed by a highly anticipated and controversial clash against Pakistan on September 14. Both of these games will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. India's final group stage match is against Oman on September 19 at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Group B consists of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong. Following the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Fours. The two teams that emerge victorious from the Super Fours will then compete for the title in the final on September 28 in Dubai. India are the defending champions of the Asia Cup, having beaten Sri Lanka in the 2023 final held in the 50-over format in Colombo. Sri Lanka had won the Asia Cup in the T20I version after beating Pakistan in the final in 2022.