3 big areas of concern for India despite their win in the 2025 Asia Cup ft. Suryakumar Yadav's form

India had a brilliant campaign in the 2025 Asia Cup as they beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 28. The Men in Blue remained unbeaten in the competition and completed a three-peat over their arch-rivals.

There were plenty of positives for India from the Asia Cup. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy were virtually unplayable throughout the tournament, while Abhishek Sharma was the standout batter from the side. Others like Tilak Varma had their moments as well.

However, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. also have a few pressing issues to address. As they build towards the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will happen in the first few months of the next calendar year, they will need to sort out the remaining chinks in their armor.

On that note, here are three big concerns for India despite their win in the 2025 Asia Cup.

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#3 Suryakumar Yadav's form has been miserable in T20Is

India v Sri Lanka - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

In 12 T20Is in 2025, Suryakumar Yadav has managed only 100 runs at an average of 11.1 and a strike rate of 105.26. He hasn't crossed the half-century mark even once and has bagged three ducks, marking by far his worst calendar year since making his debut for the country.

While Suryakumar scored a ton of runs in the 2025 Indian Premier League, he often didn't look particularly fluent. Many of his primary scoring areas seem to be letting him down, and he has looked at sea against both pace and spin. While India won't be too worried, given the caliber of player he is, they must also understand that he is on the wrong side of 35.

Heavily dependent on hand-eye coordination, Suryakumar might struggle to overcome his current challenges. And the last thing India need going into the T20 World Cup is a captain whose place in the side is questionable.

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#2 India's second specialist pacer issue could trouble them

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup Final - Source: Getty

India's first-choice playing XI in the Asia Cup featured Jasprit Bumrah as the sole specialist pacer, with all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube giving him company. Even in the final, when Hardik was unfit, Rinku Singh replaced him and not Arshdeep Singh.

Gautam Gambhir clearly values batting depth, and in that approach, it's hard to see how India will fit a second specialist seamer. Kuldeep and Varun have made themselves virtually undroppable, and picking either Arshdeep or another fast bowler would mean that the top-order batters might not be able to play as aggressively.

Bumrah's usage could thus be heavily restricted, and India's death bowling could take a hit on occasion.

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#1 What is India's ideal batting order?

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup Final - Source: Getty

Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill are all batters who are ideally used in the top four. Even Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, who play as finishers for India are better suited to take on spin through the middle overs.

In such a scenario, what does India's ideal batting order look like? It's a question that remains unanswered despite the win in the Asia Cup. While Tilak and Dube weren't at their best with the bat outside the final, Samson consistently struggled to adapt to a new role in the middle order.

India currently don't have enough middle-order specialists, and these players might have a lot of work ahead of them if they are to make it work in the 2026 T20 World Cup.