Asia Cup 2025: Samson saga headlines David vs Goliath clash

No offence to Afghanistan or Hong Kong, but the Asia Cup, at least for most avid cricket followers, begins today, with a proverbial David vs Goliath clash. Hosts UAE take on reigning T20 world champions India in Dubai with several talking points ahead of their second meeting in T20s – India won their only encounter in the 2016 Asia Cup by nine wickets.

The return of Shubman Gill as Vice-Captain to Suryakumar Yadav has raised many an eyebrow, given that Indian cricket’s blue-eyed boy hasn’t exactly set the stands on fire with his T20 exploits. As for UAE, although they would have picked up some valuable lessons during the recent tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, home advantage and match preparation notwithstanding, a win against the world’s top T20 side is likely to be a bridge too far for them.

Here are some of the talking points ahead of the clash…

Gill, the Indian selectors have made it clear, is the chosen one. With resounding success as a batter and skipper in the recently-concluded five-Test series against England, the elegant stroke-maker, by virtue of being chosen Vice-Captain for the T20 side, is definitely an option to open the batting with Abhishek Sharma, who also happens to be his good friend. Critics have made their displeasure clear about his inclusion in the side given his relatively sedate strike rate compared to some of his peers in the Indian team, but the world’s No. 1 One-Day International batter has the ability to shift gears in the shorter format as he has shown during his knocks in the Indian Premier League.

With Gill’s return, India’s premier wicketkeeper-batter Samson may have to take a back seat, even though he can slot into any position in the side. His combination with Abhishek at the top during Gill’s one-year absence was pretty prolific and breaking that to accommodate the Vice-Captain has ruffled quite a few feathers. Samson does play the dual wicketkeeper-batter role rather well, but should Gill open, Jitesh Sharma provides a middle-order alternative. Sharma helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their first IPL trophy and his wicketkeeping skills and hitting prowess haven’t gone unnoticed.

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah's fitness and availability leaves Samson’s position as India’s only selection headache. Bumrah featured in three of India’s five Tests in England and, after being released from the squad ahead of the fifth test, has had sufficient rest ahead of the Asia Cup. The next T20 World Cup is India’s – and Bumrah’s – foremost assignment and the team management is trying to balance the potent pacer's workload.

The UAE, coached by former India batter Lalchand Rajput, who incidentally was also India’s coach during their 2007 T20 World Cup triumph, are participating in the tournament for the first time since 2016. They boast of some serious talent that includes Captain Muhammad Waseem, power-hitter Asif Khan, and slow left-arm orthodox bowler Haider Ali among others. The side had a fairly decent tri-series at home, running Afghanistan close in one match and avoiding big defeats in others. Waseem was in imperious form, scoring 163 runs in four matches at 40.75 and a strike rate of 158.25, finishing as the second-highest run-getter, and with the best average. Khan’s four matches produced 125 runs at a blistering strike rate of 176.05. Among bowlers, Ali took 6 wickets at a decent economy rate. But, as impressive as these stats are, they are unlikely to have caused the formidable Indians any sleepless nights.