India will open their Asia Cup 2025 title defence campaign against the host, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, September 10, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
While the team management is more or less convinced on the combination and starting lineup, the uncertainty around Sanju Samson's spot in the XI continues to linger after Shubman Gill was assigned vice-captaincy.
According to Ajit Agarkar's press conference from the team selection day, Abhishek Sharma is likely to continue in his position in the team, and the management may have Samson sit out to accommodate Gill as the second opener.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma's extensive presence on the nets during India's first practice session in Dubai made the management's stance further clear, that they expect him to play the first game as a wicketkeeper.
Amid confusion regarding Samson's selection, Suryakumar Yadav addressed the media a day before India's tournament opener and revealed their plan with the Kerala-born player.
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When asked about Samson's position in the team, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said: "Sir, I shall message you the playing XI. But yes, we are really taking good care of him and don’t worry, we shall make the right decision."
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How did Sanju Samson perform in the net sessions ahead of the Asia Cup?
Fresh off a great season in the Kerala Cricket League 2025, where Samson scored 368 runs in just 5 innings at an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 186.80, the batter was the first one to arrive at the training ground on Monday evening for India.
The 30-year-old got off with solo wicketkeeping drills with the fielding coach, T Dilip and looked sharp with the gloves, grabbing a full-stretch diving catch on his right side before coach Gautam Gambhir went on to have a chat with him.
According to PTI's report, Gambhir and Samson chatted for about three minutes. The player mostly listened to the coach, as they likely discussed batting.
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After a triumphant IPL season with RCB, followed by the Vidarbha Pro T20 League title with Neco Master Blaster, Jitesh Sharma batted in the nets alongside Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya before Abhishek, Suryakumar Yadav, and Gill batted.
Towards the end of the session, Samson got to bat after a long wait, which saw him being padded up and waiting to be called by the coaches. He was also standing near the nets before returning and sitting on the ice box, waiting for his turn.