Asia Cup Selection Dilemma: The Pakistan Factor That Could Influence India's Squad

India will play Pakistan on September 14 in Asia Cup. Photo: AP

The India squad for the Asia Cup 2025 could be picked on August 19, but it won't be a straightforward decision for the Indian selectors. India is a very settled T20 side, but most of the big guns - including Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah , and Mohammed Siraj - are not regulars in the squad.

Instead, young guns like Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, and Rinku Singh have formed the core of the T20 squad in the last few series. Had it been a bilateral T20I series, the odds of big names making a return would've been low, but this is the Asia Cup , and the selectors would leave no stone unturned to pick the best possible squad.

Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have formed a solid opening partnership for India in T20Is. (AP)

Pakistan Factor That Could Influence India Squad India will play Pakistan in Dubai on September 14, with a potential of two more clashes in the Super 4s and the final. The India-Pakistan ties are at an all-time low, and losing to Pakistan in the current scenario is not an option. The selectors would be tempted to pick a squad that has the best odds of winning against Pakistan.

Shubman Gill and Jasprit Bumrah are in contention for the Asia Cup squad. (AP)

This brings all the big guns into play, according to a report in Cricbuzz. It won't be easy for the selectors to pick all the big names, given that the youngsters have done a tremendous job in the opportunities they have had. If the selectors think that India need senior players to win the Asia Cup, they'll have to take some harsh decisions against a few promising youngsters.

India Schedule In The Asia Cup 2025

India are clubbed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE. The Men in Blue will open the campaign against the UAE on September 10 before playing Pakistan. The final league game will be against Oman on September 19. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, and Afghanistan are in Group B, and the top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4s, which will be played in a round robin format, and the top two teams in the table will play the final on September 28.

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