Mohammad Kaif Picks India's Asia Cup Squad, Drops Rinku, Jaiswal From Playing XI

Cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the official announcement of Team India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025. Reports suggest that the BCCI could unveil the team on August 19, with Suryakumar Yadav likely to continue as captain in the T20 format.

While uncertainty remains over the inclusion of a few players, several former cricketers have begun naming their preferred squads. Among them, ex-India star Mohammad Kaif has revealed his own playing XI for the tournament.

Rinku Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal left out

Mohammad Kaif’s chosen line-up sees Sanju Samson opening the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma, followed by Tilak Varma at No. 3 and skipper Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4.

Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Washington Sundar occupy the middle order.

For the bowling unit, Kaif has gone with Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, and Jasprit Bumrah in the starting XI.

In addition, he picked Shubman Gill, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj as backups. Notably, Kaif chose to leave out crowd-favorites Rinku Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal from his XI.

“There is a tough fight for the backup opener spot between Gill and Jaiswal. I think, given the form he showed in England, Gill would be preferred. The backup keeper would be Jitesh Sharma, based on how he has performed for RCB. I think Mohammed Siraj should also be in the squad,” Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

India’s opening match

The Asia Cup 2025 begins on September 9 in the T20 format. Team India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 journey on September 10 with a clash against UAE. The much-awaited India-Pakistan encounter is scheduled for September 14, while India’s final group-stage fixture will be against Oman on September 19.

Depending on results, India and Pakistan could meet as many as three times during the tournament. The grand finale of the ACC event is slated for September 28, with the BCCI serving as the official host of the competition.

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