Former India cricketer Madan Lal has picked the Indian Men’s Cricket team to win the Asia Cup 2025 title, which is set to be played between September 09 and 28 in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
In addition to that, the member of India’s 1983 ODI World Cup-winning team has also batted for the inclusion of spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the playing 11.
India will kick off in the Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10 in Dubai and arch-rivals Pakistan in the second Group A match on September 14.
India’s third and final Group A match is scheduled against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
“India is a strong favourite due to their skilled team. The unpredictability of the T20 format and the performances of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, noting that Afghanistan is currently playing well,” said Madan Lal.
“There is controversy over the team combination, particularly the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, with selections often decided by selectors and coaches… Afghanistan is seen as a potential challenger to Pakistan, whose current performance and confidence levels are questioned,” added Madan Lal.
“Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are considered strong contenders. Kuldeep Yadav should be included in the team due to his unique bowling style, which is difficult to counter in T20 cricket, though the final decision depends on the wicket conditions and team combination. Two spinners and three pace bowlers should be included in Dubai,” concluded Lal.
Kuldeep Yadav did not get chance to play in the five-match test series between India and England, and have has been picked in the India’s squad for Asia Cup.
He hasn’s featured in any international cricket since the Indian Premier League (IPL). He had a decent outing in the IPL 2025 picking 15 wickets in 14 games at an average of 24.07 and a brilliant economy of 7.08.
Apart from Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav will be other two spinners in their previous two ICC titles triumphs in the T20 World Cup last year, followed by the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
India’s Asia Cup Squad: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
