With just one day to go before the highly anticipated India vs Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2025 on September 14, the training session of the Men in Blue in Dubai has given fans a glimpse into their serious preparations and a major hint about Sanju Samson’s place in the playing XI.
Sanju Samson has played as a wicketkeeper-batter in the first Asia Cup 2025 game against the UAE. However, the Kerala star was dropped down in the batting order after Shubman Gill returned to the side. Gill opened with Abhishek Sharma during India’s nine-wicket victory over the UAE.
Big question marks over Sanju Samson as India prepare for big Asia Cup 2025 game
The right-handed batter didn’t get the chance to bat against the UAE. Now, India’s practice session has dropped a big hint, as Samson didn’t take part in batting drills and focused mainly on wicketkeeping ahead of the much-awaited Asia Cup 2025 clash on Sunday in Dubai.
Your daily dose of cricket!
Read Also: Babar Azam slapped, Abhishek Sharma mirror shown by Pakistan great ahead of India vs Pakistan
The absence of Sanju Samson at the batting drills has raised questions about his role in India’s playing XI in the upcoming game against Pakistan. Interestingly, Sanju Samson and Gautam Gambhir were involved in a long discussion during the session.
Sanju Samson mainly focused on the wicketkeeping and came for batting practice much later. The Kerala star only entered the nets after Jitesh Sharma had finished his session and started his session with the wicketkeeping, which has raised eyebrows about his participation in the India vs Pakistan clash.
India leaves no stone unturned before the Pakistan clash
Meanwhile, the training session revolved mostly around fielding drills under the close eyes of India’s fielding coach, T. Dilip. The session kicked off with a group sprint, followed by a fun but intense bonding exercise. Later, the Indian players took part in the catching session.
The goal was to hit one of three targets: a full stump, a half stump, or a foam roller. This drill lasted about 20 minutes and boosted team spirit. After the fielding warm-up, players split up to focus on individual skills. Jasprit Bumrah went to the nets and practiced bowling for an hour with Shivam Dube assisting him.
Hardik Pandya joined Bumrah and Dube later, after finishing his fielding drills that focused on diving saves. Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh spent extra time working on catching in the deep.
Read Also: Sourav Ganguly back again in BCCI to deflate Gautam Gambhir after Virat Kohli
Interestingly, Arshdeep Singh reportedly spent a long time on deep fielding drills before joining Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube. As reported by Cricbuzz, Rinku Singh practiced alongside Shubman Gill, while Tilak Verma teamed up with Abhishek Sharma.
Pakistan’s spin plan could spell trouble for India in Dubai!
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar warned that India’s batters could face trouble from Pakistan’s spin-heavy attack in the Asia Cup 2025 clash.
Though known for fast bowlers, Pakistan’s coach Mike Hesson is focusing on spinners due to the UAE’s spin-friendly conditions.
Pakistan used four specialist spinners and won by 93 runs against Oman, with Saim Ayub and Sufiyan Muqeem wreaking havoc on the batting lineup. Manjrekar feels this unusual strategy could challenge India’s batters.
He also praised Pakistan for trying something new and using its resources smartly, and this approach can surprise its arch-rival India in Dubai.
