Madan Lal backs Shubman-Abhishek as India's opening pair for Asia Cup 2025

Dubai [UAE], September 6 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal expressed his thoughts on the Men in Blue's opening pair in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which is scheduled to take place from September 9 to 28 in Dubai.
There are three players in contention who can open the innings, namely, vice-captain Shubman Gill, wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, and left-hand batter Abhishek Sharma.
The inclusion of Gill in the squad has raised doubts in the minds of management about who will open the innings for their side, along with left-hand batter Abhishek, in the tournament.
Samson's name is also there in the squad; there are chances that Gill might open with Abhishek, and Samson is likely to bat in the middle order.
Sharing his views on the opening combination, Madan Lal told ANI, "I'm satisfied because it should have been done. Abhishek Sharma's strike rate is more than 225, and Shubman Gill's strike rate is more than 150. Opening is very important in T20Is. In the first six overs, the openers set the game. Then, after that, you have to ensure that your average is around 7, 8, or 9 and continue until the 14th or 16th over. In the last three to four overs, you have a big hitter like Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel."
The Asia Cup 2025 will be played in Dubai, where the weather conditions are hot, which will help the spinners in the competition. India have a vast experience in the spinning department as they have Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel in the main squad and Washington Sundar in the reserves list.
Speaking on spinner getting advantage in Asia Cup 2025, the former cricketer said, "It's very hot here. Spinner's role will always be more crucial here. It's very hot, but the thing is to get the breakthrough early on, and then the spinner comes in. We have the best spinner in the world. If we get a breakthrough in the beginning, then the spinners can be very lethal, and they can do a wonderful job. Spinners will play a big role. Afghanistan has four spinners and Pakistan has three. Most of the countries depend on the spinners."
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 in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.
On Saturday, Madan Lal was present as the chief guest at the Indian Roll Ball League event. The Indian Roll Ball League, born in Pune in 2003, is a unique blend of skating, basketball, and handball. Today, it is played in more than 50 countries and is officially supported by the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and India's Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
"It's a new concept for me. I've never seen it before. When I see it, I'll know what it is. The younger generation wants to do that now, that's why these sports are becoming very popular. Earlier, people used to send their parents to the company and tell them to do this and that. It's not like that anymore. It's the age of the internet. These things came in the evening, we played sports, had fun, and then left. But it's a new concept. Let's see how they develop their games," Madan Lal said about the Indian Roll Ball League. (ANI)