Asia Cup: Indian cricket team gear up with intense nets in Dubai

India fine-tune strategies in Dubai as Asia Cup 2025 title defense begins.

Last updated:
Devadasan K P, Chief Visual Editor and Virendra Saklani, Chief Visual Journalist
2 MIN READ
Indian players Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav during a training session ahead of their first Asia Cup match against UAE at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Indian players Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav during a training session ahead of their first Asia Cup match against UAE at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News

The Indian cricket team hit the nets in the UAE ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 opener against the hosts on Wednesday. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the defending champions are preparing with a dual focus — retaining their continental crown and fine-tuning combinations for the Twenty20 World Cup they will co-host next year. Although India is the official host for this edition, Asian Cricket Council guidelines require the tournament to be played at a neutral venue when scheduled for India or Pakistan, making the UAE the chosen stage once again. Fans are eagerly awaiting another spirited Indian campaign.

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Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, vice-captain Shubman Gill, coach Gautam Gambhir and teammates inspect the pitch during training at Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of their opening Asia Cup 2025 match against hosts UAE.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah trains at Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE. Fresh from the England Tests, Bumrah returns rested, with team management balancing his workload before next year’s T20 World Cup.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and spinner Kuldeep Yadav are seen during a training session at Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of their Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma during a training session at Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh during a training session at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian all-rounder Axar Patel during a training session at Dubai International Cricket Stadium ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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The last Asia Cup played in the T20 format was in 2022, when Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final. This edition is a precursor to the T20 World Cup next February, where India will be playing at home and Pakistan will play its games in Sri Lanka.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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The Asia Cup has alternated between ODI and Twenty20 white-ball formats since 2016, when India won the first of the T20 edition in Bangladesh. Above, Kuldeep Yadav and Arshdeep Singh during a training session at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian vice captain Shubhman Gill during a training session at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya during training in Dubai ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
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Indian captain Surya Kumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar during a training session at Dubai International cricket stadium.
Virendra Saklani/Gulf News
Devadasan K P
Devadasan K PChief Visual Editor
Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 26 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. Whether he’s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. Over the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments — including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. His work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. He handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss — just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.

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