Asia Cup 2025: Sanju Samson snubbed as opener in Irfan Pathan's strongest India XI

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has revealed the playing XI he believes can take the field for India in the upcoming Asia Cup, which kicks off on September 9 in the UAE. With Suryakumar Yadav named captain and Shubman Gill his deputy, Pathan feels India have the right mix of youth and experience to go deep into the tournament. On his YouTube channel, Pathan surprised many by leaving out Sanju Samson from the opening slot and instead opting to use him at number five. While Samson has enjoyed a good run at the top of the order in Gill’s absence over the past year, the former all-rounder felt the wicketkeeper-batter could add balance to the middle order. It is a role, however, where Samson has not quite settled, managing only 62 runs in five innings with a best of 30*. Pathan was particularly vocal about Gill’s potential, saying the youngster has the ability to play a role similar to Virat Kohli in T20Is. He pointed out that while Kohli was not a big six-hitter, he contributed immense value through consistency and smart run-making, and he sees Gill developing in the same mould. Meanwhile, India’s squad had their first proper training session together on Friday at the ICC Academy in Dubai, their first as a group since the 2-2 Test series in England. Skipper Suryakumar, vice-captain Gill, Samson, Abhishek, Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma all had long stints in the nets, while bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh got back into rhythm after a month’s rest. The BCCI did not conduct a camp in Bengaluru this time and instead flew the players early to Dubai so they could adjust to the heat and conditions ahead of the tournament. Irfan Pathan’s India XI for Asia Cup 2025: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.