Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
The team management now has a tricky call on hand while deciding whether to keep Samson in the playing XI finding a slot for him in top three or play Jitesh Sharma
'It wouldn't have happened if Salman Agha was playing on the 14th and the game is in the balance.'
The three players will travel back home to India with the rest of the T20 World Cup winning squad.
Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav said understanding the mindset of opposition batters reaped rich dividends for him in India's opening match of the Asia Cup against the UAE in Dubai on Wednesday.
Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Shivam Dube has the ability to control matches and teams are "scared" to bowl spin against him, said bowling coach Eric Simmons after the left-handed batter hit 38-ball 66 not out in CSK's 20-run win over Mumbai Indians in their IPL match in Mumbai.
I didn't like the way Pakistan players coming at us for no reason: Abhishek on aggressive batting
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of Asia Cup 2025.
'Shivam Dube is an extremely serious contender to go for the World Cup because you will need strength to hit sixes.'
Hardik Pandya could become the first Indian and overall the third player in the history of T20 Internationals to achieve the double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets.
Aus ODIs: Bumrah, Gill workload to be discussed, battle between Jaiswal and Abhishek
Shubman Gill enjoyed a phenomenal run with the bat in England, piling up 754 runs at an average of 75.40 with four centuries.
Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah returned to India's T20 squad for next month's Asia Cup, but IPL star performers Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out.
Former BCCI president and batting great Sourav Ganguly on Monday side-stepped the debate surrounding Indian players' refusal to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts after their Asia Cup clash in Dubai but said terrorism must end "all around the world, not just India and Pakistan."
Surya-led India continued their dominant run in T20I cricket, handing Pakistan their third loss in the head-to-head encounters between these two sides in the final of the Asia Cup at Dubai on Sunday. I
The India vs Bangladesh rivalry has gotten bitter in recent years, thanks to the partisan young fans, many of whom perceive India as an adversary.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav made optimal use of available resources in both departments as India did enough to beat a spirited Oman by 21 runs to end their league stage commitments in Asia Cup with a hat-trick of victories.
To defend their Asia Cup title, India must improve catching and find a steady middle order. Friday's dead rubber is a good chance to try these out.
Former cricketer Irfan Pathan has heaped praise on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling allrounder Shivam Dube and suggested that India selectors should keep a close eye on 30-year-old for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Seldom has an India vs Pakistan clash played with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with off-field tension, provocative gestures, and fines slapped on both camps.
Kuldeep Yadav has a good record in T20 Internationals with 69 wickets in 40 matches at an economy rate of 6.77, with a best of 5/17 against South Africa.
Shubman Gill is the flavour of the season after his stupendous show in the recent Test series against England but he will face a contender in Axar Patel for vice-captaincy
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey is in awe of Shivam Dube for transforming into a batter who no longer ducks or defends when faced with the short ball, an improvement that has been monitored personally by former captain and team talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray warned Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis against making Hindi compulsory in schools, threatening to shut them down. He accused the government of testing the people's response to eventually attach Mumbai to Gujarat.
'Playing after a long time and batting at No. 4 was a bit of pressure for me, but I had one thing on my mind that I had to play my style of cricket.'
Dube is only the third player to accomplish this more than once, following Yuvraj's three instances and Virat's two.
Dube got in thanks to more game time for Chennai Super Kings during the first 10 games of the league.
Sanju Samson not batting enough at number five and six doesn't mean he can't do the job there, said India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Friday while expressing confidence in the Kerala dasher's ability ahead of the Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
Matthew Sandery, head curator at the Dubai international stadium, was spotted near Gautam Gambhir and Sitanshu Kotak, but did not ask them to keep away. Incidentally, the BCCI, being the hosts, can even suggest the kind of wicket they would need for the match.
On Friday night in Abu Dhabi, that same man -- now 43 and wearing Oman's colours -- stood tall against cricket's biggest stars and proved that dreams have no expiry date.
'Though I would like to see him in the playing XI, Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the batting for the team.'
India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup signals a bold new era, with seven fresh faces ready to debut on the continental stage.
Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan urged the Pakistan team to showcase their anger and some competition on the field rather than being in controversies off the field,
Kuldeep Yadav grabbed 3/18, while Axar Patel played a vital role getting 2/18 besides bowling 15 dot balls in the game to power India to an emphatic seven-wicket victory.
On Wednesday, Cricbuzz reported that Royals have demanded a swap deal for star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad or hard-hitter Shivam Dube in exchange for Samson. However, CSK have reportedly turn down the request.
Shivam Dube carried his rich recent form into domestic circuit cracking a rapid fifty but Shreyas Gopal's four-wicket haul ensured that Mumbai were bowled out for 251
The report also indicated that Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are unlikely to get a call-up to the T20I squad as the team management might not upset the team's core combination.
Shivam Dube smashed a quickfire half-century to power India to a thumping six-wicket victory against Afghanistan in the first T20 International.
Dube has 350 runs in nine outings at a strike rate of 172.41, including three half-centuries.
In a surprising move, KKR's batting sensation Rinku Singh was not picked in the 15-member squad.
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