India kick-starts Asia Cup campaign with first practice session at ICC Academy, Dubai

Dubai [UAE], September 5 (ANI): The Indian cricket team kicked off their first practice session in Dubai on Friday ahead of the T20 Asia Cup 2025. The team, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, will be looking to win their second title in the eight-nation tournament, which begins on September 9.
In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo on X, Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir, star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, bowling coach Morne Morkel, spin duo Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Rinku Singh, and others were spotted heading inside the ICC academy.
Wicketkeeper/batter Sanju Samson and veteran seamer Jasprit Bumrah were spotted having a conversation during the practice session.
After the last Test series against England, this is the first major cricket tournament for the Men in Blue with a break spanning almost a month.
Asia Cup cricket tournament was contested in the 50-over ODI format for its first 12 editions, but the tournament has been played on a rotational basis between ODIs and T20Is since 2016.
To date, the Asia Cup has been played in the T20 format only twice - first in 2016 and then in 2022. All the other 14 editions of the tournament have been held in the ODI format. Sri Lanka is the defending champion of the T20 Asia Cup.
India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi, and the remaining two will be held in Dubai.
The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.
Team India squad for Asia Cup: 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 SinghReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)