Gill's struggle against spin has been glaring and former India cricketer-turned commentator Akash Chopra has suggested a bold change to overcome his recent slump: bat deep and not be overly aggressive with his approach.
India, for all their internal debates and external expectations, look like the one side that has clarity of purpose. And clarity, in high-pressure tournaments, often counts for more than raw talent.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav called upon his team to live up to their top billing and emerge champions in the Asia Cup.
Fourteen players, including Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri, are not immediately joining the preparatory camp for next month's Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore as three clubs have delayed the release of their players, which will be a cause of concern for head coach Khalid Jamil.
As India gear up for their second Super 4s match in the Asia Cup, against Bangladesh in Dubai on Wednesday, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is on the verge of becoming the second Indian to complete 100 T20I wickets, and overall, he will be the 26th to do so.
The development comes as relations between the two countries showed marked improvement following the four-day military conflict between Pakistan and India in May.
'He has been working hard on his bowling. This was a perfect game for him.'
On Friday morning, the ICC World Test Championship winner's name popped up in Samoa's squad as they prepare to embark on the final journey towards the qualification of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
The two marquee India versus Pakistan games will be held in Dubai during the upcoming Asia Cup which is scheduled to start in the UAE from September 9, the ACC announced on Saturday.
Gill's highest score in the three Asia Cup matches has been an unbeaten 20 with the Test skipper failing to click in the games against Pakistan and Oman after a fruitful red-ball away series against England.
Pakistan are currently in the second spot with two points, ahead of UAE (2 points) on net run rate.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has issued fresh guidelines barring journalists from asking political questions at press conferences in an apparent bid to diffuse the volatile situation that has persisted since the India-Pakistan match last Sunday.
The Indian trio of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma retained their respective top positions in the ICC T20 rankings.
With Samson pushed to No. 5 in the batting line-up, fans are now call for his promotion up the order in the dead rubber final Group A match against Oman on September 19.
The BCCI press conference scheduled at 1.30pm in Mumbai is 'expected to be delayed owing to weather disruptions'.
In the men's 10m air rifle final, India's Himanshu, who had topped qualification with 633.7, kept his form intact to clinch gold with a superb 250.9. Individual Neutral Athlete Dmitrii Pimenov followed with 249.9 for silver, while India's Abhinav Shaw claimed bronze with 228.4.
'Looking at their bowling line-up, they had a left-arm spinner and a leg spinner. I think Dube was perfect for that occasion in that 7-15 overs range.'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav closely inspected the pitch of the Dubai International Stadium on the eve of their highly-debated Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
Despite over-utilising his craft, Bumrah chased shadows of his past self and returned with figures of 0/45.
On Sunday, in the crucible of Dubai, it all comes down to a single question: Who will seize their moment and become a hero for a nation?
Harmanpreet Singh expressed optimism that the team would start well and highlighted the need for both strong attacking and defensive play.
Bumrah has been at the heart of India's success in recent years. He spearheaded India's title-winning run in the T20 World Cup last year, finishing with 15 wickets, and overall has 89 scalps in 70 matches at a remarkable average of 17.74.
Arshdeep Singh prepared for the Asia Cup opening match against UAE by closely watching their batters practice in the nets in Dubai on Tuesday.
When I interviewed Alishan Sharafu as a 14-year-old schoolboy following his huge scores in domestic matches, he told me he wanted to bat like A B de Villiers.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav has lauded the energy and commitment of his teammates on the opening day of training ahead of the Asia Cup
'I can't come in and say, "I only can do the hero role." I need to be a villain. I need to be a joker. I need to play around".'
Sourav Ganguly has weighed in on the upcoming India vs Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025, stressing that while sports must continue, terrorism must be firmly dealt with.
He is also expected to sit out the home Test series against the West Indies in October.
Asia Cup: Hardik Pandya goes past Chahal to become second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is
Ashwin wants this "unexpected hero" to surprise against Pakistan during Asia Cup
India and Bangladesh have two points each with Suryakumar Yadav's men leading the standings owing to a superior net run rate. Sri Lanka and Pakistan occupy the third and fourth spots respectively.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha broke the silence about playing the format without the nation's batting bigwigs Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam.
'One of the challenges we encounter in Dubai Stadium is the lights are slightly different.'
Despite introducing a single ticket format to make purchases more accessible, organisers haven't seen a significant boost in sales, with the numbers remaining sluggish ahead of the match.
'Samson is most dangerous in the top three. That's where he wins you matches. He should be left there.'
India will take on the UAE in their tournament-opener on September 10 before facing arch rivals Pakistan at Dubai on September 14. Their third group match will be against Oman on September 19 before the Super Four stage.
India-Pakistan bilateral relations must improve before engaging in cricket: Harbhajan Singh
Salman Ali Agha will lead the team for the upcoming UAE tri-series and the subsequent Asia Cup also to be played in the UAE, the International Cricket Council announced on Sunday.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag has backed the current T20I team to win the upcoming Asia Cup under Suryakumar Yadav's "fearless captaincy".
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances