Asia Cup 2025: Former wicketkeeper picks India’s playing XI in final, predicts Player of the Match

Former wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel picked India's playing XI for the 2025 Asia Cup summit clash versus Pakistan. The all-important encounter is set to be played on Sunday, September 28, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

He believes that only India’s opening batters - Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill - have fixed positions in the batting order. The rest of the batters can be slotted according to the situation of the match. However, Patel picked Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (if fit), and Axar Patel in the middle order.

Patel kept Arshdeep Singh in the lineup after his heroics against Sri Lanka in the last game. The cricketer-turned-expert kept Shivam Dube out of the XI. Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakaravarthy were the other bowlers picked in the side.

"The way our batting is going, only two players are set in that order - Abhishek and Gill. Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep, Arshdeep, Bumrah, and Varun," he said on his YouTube channel.

Parthiv Patel's India playing XI for Asia Cup 2025 final: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakaravarthy.

I think Shubman Gill can be the player of the match: Parthiv Patel

Patel feels that Shubman could be the Player of the Match in the final. The Punjab batter hasn’t been in great form in the tournament.

In six matches, he has aggregated 115 runs at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 155.41. His highest score of 47 off 28 balls came against Pakistan in the Super-Four stage of the continental competition.

"I think Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will have the most opportunities because they play at the top. I think Shubman Gill can be the player of the match," he said.

Suryakumar Yadav skips press conference for IND v PAK final

Also Read

Suryakumar Yadav skips press conference for IND v PAK final

India are coming into this clash on the back of six consecutive wins in the tournament. On the other hand, Pakistan have four wins and two defeats in the lead-up to the final.