IND vs UAE LIVE Score, Asia Cup 2nd T20I: India pre-match warm-up gives out Playing XI; Sanju, Kuldeep likely to sit out

The record eight-time Asia Cup champions have become the team to beat in white ball cricket, particularly in tournament play. They won the 50-over version of this tournament the last time it was played in 2023, went on to have a memorable but heartbreaking ODI World Cup campaign, but finally landed silverware with the T20I World Cup win in 2024 and followed it up with the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year. In the limited-overs game, India has developed into a consistent behemoth, regularly playing good cricket and becoming incredibly tough to beat.

Even under the fresh captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, fans will be hoping this trend continues to follow. This is a relatively young team compared to the won that won the previous Asia Cup or even found success in North America and the Caribbean just a year ago, with fresh faces and the stars of tomorrow trying to make a mark. But at the same time, there is more than enough experience, players who have seen what the best in the world has to offer thanks to the IPL, and proper Indian internationals in their own right over the last 12 months. SKY leads the line, but the talent that will be on show up and down the lineup is immense.

India’s biggest weapon will be Jasprit Bumrah, who returns after having missed the ICC Champions Trophy. Although his workload is under management, the next big overseas tour in Test cricket being a while away means Gautam Gambhir and his captains can turn to him to be their lead bowler when they are gunning for silverware. Bumrah is a difference-maker, a T20 bowler who ensures he will concede very little despite bowling the difficult overs in a match, and be a constant risk to dismiss the opposition’s best batters as well. He will be given able support by Arshdeep Singh, or potentially Harshit Rana, with Hardik Pandya presenting a third seam bowling option: it’s a combination which worked excellently to help India to the T20 World Cup, a tried and tested formula.

The spin attack, however, is what will cause the damage on the slow turning tracks in the UAE. This is another thing India learned and nearly perfected: teams, even the strongest in the world, just are not built to cope with the attacking pressure they can exert through the middle overs with Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav working in tandem. These are arguably the two best spinners in the world in this format of the game at the moment, full of creativity and flair, leaving opposition teams befuddled. Axar Patel rounds out the spin corps, exerting control with his tall left-arm action, and capable of sneaking in a quiet over or two during the powerplay to ensure that the seamers can be used as strike bowlers in the death.

The question marks for India begin with the batting, at the very top. Abhishek Sharma is the ideal modern T20 opener, capable of exploding from ball one for short flurries while also containing a massive knock within him. It’s his partner who isn’t set yet: will Sanju Samson retain his slot, or lose it to Shubman Gill, named vice-captain of this team? Will Samson be pushed down the order and asked to try his hand as a number three, or perhaps even a finisher? A lot of these questions will be answered when India head out to bat today. Following this is a reliable middle order combination of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav himself, with Hardik Pandya as the designated finisher at the base of the lineup, and Axar Patel capable of floating and being a innings reconstructor or pinch-hitter vs spin, whatever is required.

UAE is on the hunt for a remarkable upset, but it’s a huge task against this stacked Indian team. Will the hosts be able to find something inspired, and get over that hump to create a result that could inspire the next generation of cricketers at home? It is silly to write off any team in a tournament environment, but India will feel that this is the kind of match that will allow them to tinker and ensure they click into gear before the high-pressure second half of this tournament begins for them.

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