Indian Team Management will have a task cut out in Asia Cup 2025 as to build a strong playing XI from the 15-member squad. In a matter of three days, Asia Cup 2025 will be on roll as it is slated to get underway from September 9. But right ahead of the continental tournament, the Indian team is facing some tough selection decisions. Their first match is on September 10 against the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Then will then face their arch-rivals Pakistan on September 15 before locking horns with Oman on September 19. But one of the main questions for the team management is whether to play Sanju Samson or Jitesh Sharma as the wicketkeeper-batter.
Adding to the debate, batting great Sunil Gavaskar has weighed in on the team's composition. He strongly feels that either Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube will have to be left out of the playing XI. Gavaskar believes the team's balance would be best served by featuring Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav as the spinners, alongside Harshit Rana as the specialist pacer.
“With Axar Patel also likely to play in this side as a left-hander and somebody who can bowl good four overs, it looks like somebody like Rinku and Shivam might have to wait a bit before they get an opportunity. My feeling is that they might not extend the batting to No. 8 and look for the bowlers, maybe Kuldeep at 8 and then 9, 10, 11, your 3 fast bowlers,” Gavaskar said, as quoted by PTI.
As the Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to be played in the T20 format, a comparison of the 20-over batting statistics for Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube shows Rinku with a slight advantage. In 33 matches for India, Rinku has played 24 innings, accumulating 546 runs with a highest score of 69*. In a similar number of matches, Shivam Dube has played 26 innings across 35 games, scoring 531 runs. His highest score is 63*. While both players have comparable numbers, the slight edge in runs and higher individual score puts Rinku Singh ahead in this particular statistical comparison.
It will be interesting to see who gets the chance to feature in India's playing XI and who will face the axe.
India’s Asia Cup squad:
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
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel