Gautam Gambhir's Crucial Selection Call To Impact India's Hopes Of Retaining T20I World Cup, Here's The Predicted XI For IND vs UAE Asia Cup Clash

Much ahead of the T20 World Cup that will be played next year, Suryakumar Yadav's T20I team is gearing up to defend their Asia Cup title. Suryakumar Yadav has been nothing short of stellar as the captain of India's T20I team and he is yet to lose a series, but the Asia Cup is a different assignment altogether. This is the first time that Surya will lead India in a multi-nation tournament as they try to defend their title of being the champions of Asia.

All Eyes On Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma And Sanju Samson

India have assembled a very strong squad for the Asia Cup and they do not have any shortage of talent and it makes the job of selection very tough for Head Coach Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav. Shubman Gill's appointment as the vice-captain of the T20I team guarantees him a place in the Indian T20I team. Gill is a top-order batsman and he can't walk to bat out lower than three.

India have had a very settled unit as far as the top-order in T20Is is concerned. Over a long period of time, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma have been India's top three in the shortest international format and they have performed really well, but things will now change for the 'men in blue' with the start of their Asia Cup campaign.

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Sanju Samson hasn't really done anything wrong to lose his place in the T20I side. The Rajasthan Royals skipper has not only performed with the bat, but he has also been very decent behind the wickets. Tilak Varma on the other hand seemingly struggled on slower tracks in the Indian Premier League earlier this year. During the pre-Asia Cup press conference and trophy unveiling event, Suryakumar Yadav refused to comment on Sanju Samson's inclusion in the side. It will be interesting to see who makes way for Shubman Gill in the Indian T20I side.

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Here Are Two Versions Of India's Predicted XI For Their Asia Cup Opener

• India's Predicted XI if Sanju Samson is rested: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (VC), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah
• India's Predicted XI if Tilak Varma is rested: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill (VC), Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah