India’s Asia Cup 2025 preparations got off to a light-hearted start when captain Suryakumar Yadav delivered one of the most amusing press conferences ahead of the tournament. All eight captains gathered in Dubai for the trophy unveiling, with the continental championship set to begin on September 9 as Afghanistan face Hong Kong, China in the opening match.
During the media session, Suryakumar Yadav was quizzed about Sanju Samson’s selection chances in the playing XI, a topic that has sparked debate ever since Shubman Gill was named vice-captain. While Samson had success as an opener last year, his inconsistency in the middle order has raised questions over his role in the tournament.
The Indian skipper, however, responded with his trademark humor, saying, “Main aapko playing XI message kar deta hun” (I’ll text you the playing XI), drawing laughter from the press room. He further added, “We are actually taking really good care of him. Don’t worry, we will make the right decision tomorrow.”
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While other teams have had more recent match practice, India’s last T20I series was back in January. Despite this, Suryakumar Yadav believes the squad is well-prepared, crediting the IPL for keeping players in rhythm.
SKY on Sanju Samson in playing XI👇
“Don’t worry about Sanju. We will take care of that.”
Sanju isn’t just the best WK for India in T20Is, he’s also the best WK-batter among all WKs in the Asia Cup. Yet, his place in India’s XI is still in doubt feels absolutely absurd to me😤 pic.twitter.com/U2GTe7T8Os
— Sanju Samson Fans Page (@SanjuSamsonFP) September 9, 2025
“As a team, we played a series together in Jan-Feb. But the boys had a good time in the IPL, so the format was going on. We haven’t played a tournament together after June, but that’s how this tournament is. We accept the challenge and are excited to see how things go from tomorrow,” he said.
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India will open their Asia Cup campaign on September 10 against the UAE in Dubai. The tournament is being seen as a crucial build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026, with Suryakumar leading a full-strength squad.
