India Predicted Playing 11 vs UAE for Match 2 of 2025 Asia Cup ft. Shivam Dube & Jitesh Sharma

India are all set to commence their 2025 Asia Cup campaign against the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, September 10. The fixture will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

When asked about his potential team combination, Suryakumar Yadav didn't give much away. A number of reports have suggested that India might be making a few changes to their previous bilateral selection policies, and the side's practice sessions in the lead-up to their opening game of the tournament backed up that claim.

India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

On that note, here is India's predicted playing XI for Match 2 of the 2025 Asia Cup.

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Openers: Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill

South Africa v India - 3rd T20I - Source: Getty

Abhishek Sharma is nailed down as one of India's first-choice T20I openers, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirming the same. Reports have suggested that Sanju Samson, who wasn't a major participant in the training sessions, could be dropped from the playing XI. Shubman Gill, who was announced as the vice-captain for the Asia Cup, is expected to partner his state teammate at the top of the order.

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Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (wk)

India v England - 5th T20I - Source: Getty

Tilak Varma has done well in T20Is of late and should continue to bat at No. 3, where he notched up twin tons against South Africa. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, who recently recovered from a surgery, could exchange spots with Tilak depending upon the situation.

Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya form the backbone of the middle order, with both all-rounders having key roles to play in both departments. In Samson's potential absence, Jitesh Sharma will don the gloves and serve as the team's frontline finisher, relegating Rinku Singh to the bench.

India have often prioritized depth, and news filtered in that Shivam Dube has been doing a lot of bowling in the nets. The tall southpaw could be selected ahead of the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, although the ideal situation for the Men in Blue would be to have their two wrist-spinners playing in tandem.

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Lower Order: Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah

2025 IPL - Delhi Capitals v Kolkata Knight Riders - Source: Getty

Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah form India's first-choice pace attack in T20Is, and the UAE batters are likely to find it tough to counter the new ball. Their task won't get any easier after that, with Varun Chakaravarthy likely to wreak havoc with his googlies through the middle overs.

Kuldeep has been on the bench across formats for a while now, and that isn't ideal. It's a toss-up between him and Dube, with the latter reportedly having the edge as mentioned earlier.