Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma are likely to be the top three for the Men in Blue
Mumbai: The Senior Men's Selection Committee will meet at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday to pick India's squad for the upcoming ACC Men's Asia Cup. The selection meeting will be followed by a press conference, which will be attended by captain Suryakumar Yadav and the Chairman of the Senior Men's Selection Committee, Ajit Agarkar, from 1:30 pm onwards.
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma are likely to be the top three for the Men in Blue, with captain Suryakumar Yadav expected to bat at number four. There are speculations that Test captain Shubman Gill could be named vice-captain after showcasing his leadership skills on the England tour. Players like Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, and Washington Sundar are also in contention.
Jitesh Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal are likely to be included as the backup wicketkeeper and opener, respectively. Right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah has made himself available for the tournament and is expected to lead the pace attack, supported by Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana. The spinners likely to be picked are Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi.
The Asia Cup will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28. The ACC released a statement confirming the venues for all tournament fixtures. The competition will follow the T20I format and feature eight teams: five full members of the Asian Cricket Council (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), along with the UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong.
India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman are placed in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong are in Group B. Although India is the formal tournament host, a neutral venue will be provided for the opposing team for three years for competitions held in India or Pakistan, under an agreement between the BCCI and PCB.
During the tournament, Dubai will host 11 matches, while Abu Dhabi will stage eight. The tournament opener will be played between Afghanistan and Hong Kong on September 9 in Abu Dhabi. India will begin their campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by a high-voltage clash against Pakistan on September 14, both in Dubai. India’s final group stage fixture against Oman is scheduled for September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super 4 stage, to be played from September 20 to 26. If India tops Group A, all their Super 4 matches will be in Dubai. If they finish second, one game will be in Abu Dhabi and two in Dubai. The final will be held in Dubai on September 28.
