Legendary Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have expressed strong confidence in the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team ahead of the 2025 Men&rsquo;s T20 Asia Cup, starting Tuesday in the UAE.
The 17th edition of the tournament will feature eight teams India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong all competing for continental supremacy in the run-up to the 2026 ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup.
India begin their Group A campaign against hosts UAE on September 10, followed by high-stakes matches against Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19. The Super Four stage will follow the league phase, with the final scheduled for September 28 in Dubai.
"As Team India steps onto the Asia Cup stage under the dynamic leadership of Surya Kumar Yadav, we witness a blend of tenacity and experience steering the side. Surya's ability to inspire through his innovative batting and captaincy complements the other members of the team.
"This squad symbolises the future of Indian cricket, diverse, versatile and combative. The Asia Cup offers them a platform not just to defend India's supremacy but to lay the foundation for a new era of Indian dominance in T20 cricket,&rdquo; Gavaskar said in a statement by Sony Sports Network, the official broadcasters of the Asia Cup.
This will also be India&rsquo;s first T20I assignment since their 4-1 home series win over England in January. Ravi Shastri praised the balance of youth and experience in the squad. &ldquo;With Surya Kumar Yadav leading from the front and Shubman Gill mastering the art of youthful leadership as vice-captain, this Indian squad exemplifies the perfect mix of experience and potential," Shastri said.
"Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, and Hardik Pandya bring international class, while talents like Tilak Varma and Harshit Rana add spark and depth. The Asia Cup 2025 will be the crucible where their mettle is tested, and I believe this team, under Surya&rsquo;s calm and aggressive captaincy, will rise to the occasion and set new benchmarks for Indian cricket,&rdquo; he added.
Alongside Gavaskar and Shastri, an elite commentary team will cover the Asia Cup. Sanjay Manjrekar, Robin Uthappa, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Urooj Mumtaz, Russel Arnold, Simon Doull, Mike Haysman, and Athar Ali Khan will be part of the world feed panel, with live streaming available on Sony LIV.
Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Ajay Jadeja, Abhishek Nayar, Vivek Razdan, and Saba Karim will feature on the Hindi commentary team. WV Raman and Bharat Arun will lead the Tamil panel, while Venkatapathy Raju, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, and Gnaneswara Rao will form the Telugu commentary team. [Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed]

Gavaskar, Shastri tip India to rule Asia Cup

Legends back Suryakumar’s India to shine in T20 Asia Cup 2025 starting Tuesday in UAE

Gavaskar, Shastri tip India to rule Asia Cup

Legends back Suryakumar’s India to shine in T20 Asia Cup 2025 starting Tuesday in UAE

September 8, 2025 | 14:16 IST