Asia Cup 2025: India Gears Up in Dubai, Focus on Bumrah's Comeback and Samson's Role

Defending champions India had a full-fledged practice session at the ICC Academy here on Friday as they put the finishing touches to their Asia Cup preparations.

India will open their campaign against hosts UAE on September 10, before facing arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19. The playoffs begin on September 20.

This was the first time the players trained together since the England Test series, which ended in a 2-2 draw last month. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, vice-captain Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma all had extended batting stints in the nets.

Several senior players, including Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav, had a month’s rest ahead of the tournament. The team management did not hold a preparatory camp at the BCCI Centre of Excellence and instead chose to arrive early in Dubai to acclimatise.

At training, Gill, fresh from his exploits in leading the Test side in England, drew plenty of attention as the team went through fitness routines and light skills work.

Amongst the senior players, Jasprit Bumrah's return to T20Is was also keenly observed.

His last appearance in the format came in the 2024 T20 World Cup final in Bridgetown, where his 2/18 helped India secure a seven-run win over South Africa and became the player-of-the-series with 15 wickets.

After drawing criticism for missing two Tests during the gruelling home series against England earlier this year, Bumrah has rejoined the squad following a 40-day break.

Bumrah was seen sharing a light conversation with Abhishek Sharma, while Sanju Samson engaged with fielding coach and head coach Gautam Gambhir.

The spotlight was also on star allrounder Hardik Pandya, sporting a striking new blonde hairdo as he interacted with fans and signed autographs.

India, who lifted the Champions Trophy in the UAE earlier this year, trained under head coach Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel.

With Dream11 no longer a sponsor, the team trained in jerseys without any logos. India have won the Asia Cup a record eight times.

India are the designated hosts of the tournament, which is being staged across venues in the UAE. Group A comprises India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman, while Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.

India’s fixtures at Asia Cup:

• India vs UAE – September 10
• India vs Pakistan – September 14
• India vs Oman – September 19.