India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025 has been announced and the reigning champions Men in Blue have set their sights on the coveted trophy as the action is all set to get underway from September 9. Soon India will travel to Dubai and start their preparation for the upcoming Asia Cup. Team India will be heavily relying on the services of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya who are expected to put on a show in Dubai.
Mumbai Indians release Hardik Pandya-Jasprit Bumrah's epic face-off
Right before the Asia Cup kicks off, fans got to witness a solid face-off between Bumrah and Pandya. The Mumbai Indians recently released an unseen video from this year's tournament, highlighting a fierce practice duel between captain Pandya and Bumrah. The footage, captured during a center-wicket session, showcases the intense competitive spirit of the two star players as they went head-to-head, with neither prepared to concede any ground.
The contest began with Pandya asserting his dominance. He anticipated one of Bumrah's deliveries early and powerfully dispatched it for a six straight back over the bowler's head. The all-rounder then capitalized on a fuller, wayward ball, easily guiding it to the fine-leg boundary for a certain four, seemingly gaining a clear advantage in the duel.
However, Bumrah delivered a stunning response. He bowled a trademark, inch-perfect yorker that proved too much for even the formidable Pandya. Despite attempting to give himself more room by standing deep in his crease, Pandya was unable to bring his bat down in time. The searing delivery crashed into the base of the leg-stump, shattering it and ending the battle. Pandya appeared impressed, while Bumrah reacted with a wry smile as teammates and support staff applauded and shouted "well bowled" in appreciation.
Watch the video here:
Now all eyes will be on Bumrah and Pandya in the Asia Cup as India will kick off their campaign against USA on September 10 before locking horns with Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19.
India’s squad for Asia Cup:
Suryakumar 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