Asia Cup 2025: 'We must avoid complacency against smaller teams' - Robin Uthappa ahead of India's game against UAE

Published - 10 Sept 2025, 14:42 IST | Updated - 10 Sept 2025, 15:06 IST

India is all set to begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the United Arab Emirates in Dubai, and former India batter Robin Uthappa has stressed the point that while India may be favourites, complacency should be avoided. Uthappa mentioned that every opponent must be respected.

The Men in Blue enter the Asia Cup riding high on momentum. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the management has picked a strong 15-member squad. However, UAE conditions are expected to be tough. With India beginning their campaign against the UAE, which has improved thanks to exposure from the ILT20, India’s will be tested. Uthappa revealed that India’s biggest challenge might not come from their opposition but from themselves.

"I think complacency is a danger, so I’d make sure they take every game respectfully. The quality of players is so good that sometimes you can take your foot off the pedal, thinking, ‘Listen, we’ll dominate, so you can relax.’ That is something they need to look out for," Uthappa said to Sony Sports.

Knowledge of conditions could help us vs IND: UAE captain

The former batter also pointed out the importance of unity within the Indian dressing room. With multiple players eyeing spots in next year’s T20 World Cup squad, ensuring a healthy atmosphere will be important, which can help them do wonders in this edition of the tournament.

"They need to make sure the health of the team is really good. In this unit, there may be two or three more guys who are going to be the key contenders for the World Cup next year. So you want everyone getting along, keeping the dressing room atmosphere light, but at the same time, playing for each other," he added.

For India, the contest against the UAE will be only their second T20I meeting since the 2016 Asia Cup. Back then, the UAE were bundled out for 81, a score India chased down in just over 10 overs. However, Uthappa warned the team for Afghanistan and called them a genuine threat

"A team like Afghanistan, where the bowling is really good, can put pressure on them," he concluded.