India Opt to Bowl in Asia Cup Opener Against UAE; Varun Chakravarthy Among Three Spinners Picked

India Opt to Bowl in Asia Cup Opener Against UAE; Varun Chakravarthy Among Three Spinners Picked

India finally broke their toss jinx, winning their first toss in 16 matches across formats, and opted to bowl first in their Asia Cup 2025 opener against UAE at the Dubai International Stadium. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav cited expected dew later in the evening as a key factor in the decision.

Team Selection: Spinners Over Seamers

India’s playing XI featured a few surprises, especially in the bowling department. The team opted for three spinners — Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, and Axar Patel — suggesting a spin-friendly surface and a tactical shift.

Varun Chakravarthy’s inclusion marks a notable return, as India went in with both their wristspinners. Left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep and mystery spinner Varun are expected to share the middle overs, while Axar adds depth with both bat and ball.

India chose Shivam Dube as the pace-bowling allrounder ahead of Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, reinforcing their preference for batting depth. With Jasprit Bumrah as the lone frontline seamer, Hardik Pandya is likely to share the new ball and shoulder more bowling responsibility.

Samson Retained, Gill Returns to Top

Sanju Samson retained his spot in the XI as wicketkeeper despite Shubman Gill’s return to the top of the order. With Abhishek Sharma partnering Gill as opener, Samson has moved to a middle-order role that more commonly suits Jitesh Sharma, who misses out.

India’s batting line-up continues to showcase flexibility, with Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube likely to float depending on match situations.

UAE Make One Change

UAE, led by Muhammad Waseem, made one change to the side that lost to Afghanistan in the recent tri-series at home. Allrounder Dhruv Parashar, who bowls offspin, replaced legspinner Muhammad Farooq, possibly as a counter to India's left-hand heavy top order.

Waseem admitted he would have preferred to bowl first too, anticipating early movement for his seamers under the lights.

Playing XIs

India:

  1. Abhishek Sharma

  2. Shubman Gill

  3. Suryakumar Yadav (capt)

  4. Tilak Varma

  5. Sanju Samson (wk)

  6. Shivam Dube

  7. Hardik Pandya

  8. Axar Patel

  9. Kuldeep Yadav

  10. Varun Chakravarthy

  11. Jasprit Bumrah

UAE:

  1. Muhammad Zohaib

  2. Muhammad Waseem (capt)

  3. Asif Khan

  4. Alishan Sharafu

  5. Rahul Chopra (wk)

  6. Dhruv Parashar

  7. Harshit Kaushik

  8. Haider Ali

  9. Muhammad Rohid

  10. Junaid Siddique

  11. Simranjeet Singh

With India fielding a spin-heavy line-up and a deep batting order, and UAE banking on their seamers in early conditions, the match promises to be an intriguing contest to kick off their respective Asia Cup campaigns.