Asia Cup 2025: India’s world cup-winning star picks Suryakumar Yadav’s team for UAE game; Kuldeep Yadav not in the XI

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Ahead of India‘s inaugural Asia Cup 2025 clash against the UAE, the legendary 1983 World Cup-winning star, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, has offered a strategic insight into his ideal playing XI. Sharing his selections in a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Cheeky Cheeka,’ Srikkanth provided a comprehensive breakdown of his choices, which not only included several in-form players but also highlighted a tough call regarding the exclusion of a star bowler. His blueprint for the team’s opening match reflects a pragmatic approach, balancing a strong batting lineup with a versatile bowling attack.

Srikkanth’s playing XI for India’s first match is as follows: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy. At the top of the order, he selected the dependable pair of Abhishek and Gill, noting that Abhishek has been a force to reckon with, having scored 535 runs in 17 T20Is at an impressive average of 33.43 and a phenomenal strike rate of 193.84, including two centuries.

For the crucial middle order, Srikkanth opted for Tilak, India’s captain Suryakumar and Dube. Suryakumar had a sensational IPL 2025, amassing 717 runs from 16 games at a staggering average of 65.18 and a blistering strike rate of 167.91. For the all-rounders, he picked Hardik and Axar, with Jitesh taking the gloves. The bowling attack was built around the fast-bowling duo of Bumrah and Arshdeep, complemented by the mystery spin of Chakaravarthy, whom played a crucial role in India’s victory at the Champions Trophy 2025, also held in Dubai.

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While Srikkanth’s squad was largely built on merit, the most controversial decision was his omission of star wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, along with Sanju Samson. Srikkanth acknowledged that dropping Kuldeep would be a difficult and unfortunate choice but deemed it a likely reality given the team’s priority for batting depth. He expressed his personal dilemma on the matter, saying, “Unfortunately, it is sad but it might happen. You have no choice. Then Shivam Dube and Abhishek will have to bowl an over or two if the sixth bowler option is required.”

Srikkanth went on to state that if he were the selector, he would have made a different choice, prioritizing Kuldeep’s proven match-winning ability over a long tail. “If it is on me I will play seven batters and play Kuldeep. Do you need a century from a batter at number eight? Kuldeep is capable of scoring some runs and he has done it in the past,” he passionately explained.

Kuldeep was also benched throughout the recent five-match Test series in England, where the team placed a similar emphasis on batting depth. Despite his impressive career statistics of 69 wickets from 40 T20Is at a stellar average of 14.07 and an economy rate of 6.77, the former cricketer believes that Kuldeep could face a similar fate in the Asia Cup due to the team’s strategic demands.

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