Team India faces tough choices ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, from the opening pair and Sanju Samson's role to the No.7 spot, pace attack balance, and Kuldeep Yadav's inclusion, all key to shaping their title defense.

Team India will begin their quest to defend their Asia Cup triumph when they take on the hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the group stage of the tournament at the Dubai International Stadium on September 10. On Monday, the BCCI senior men's team chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, unveiled the 15-member squad for the eight-team continental tournament at a press conference at the board's headquarters in Mumbai.

Picking 15 members in the squad is tough, but what more tougher is picking the final playing XI for each match, with the headache lying on team management, led by the head coach Gautam Gambhir. As India prepares for the Asia Cup title defence, let's take a look at five challenges that team management needs to address.

One of the biggest challenges for Team India management is to pick the opening combination for the multi-nation continental tournament. With the return of Shubman Gill to the T20I fold after a year away from the format to focus on red-ball cricket, the opening combination becomes tricky, with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma being experimented with as the opening pair by team management for the three T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England.

Since Gill has been appointed as vice-captain, he will certainly be included in the playing XI, but will he partners with Samson or Abhishek remains a crucial decision for the team management ahead of the Asia Cup. In white-ball format, ODIs and T20Is, Shubman Gill is a top-order batter, and his role at the top of the order will be vital to anchor the innings, making the final choice of his opening partner even more significant for a strong start in the tournament.

If team management picks Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as an opening pair due to a left-right combination, Sanju Samson's spot in the playing XI is under scrutiny. Having opened the innings alongside Abhishek in the last three T20I series, Samson remains a strong contender due to his ability to accelerate the innings in the powerplay and his experience in pressure situations.

Samson scored all three centuries as an opener, and it is a tough call for team management whether to persist with Kerala wicketkeeper-batter as an opener or slot him in the middle-order. Sanju Samson could still be a top-order batter if management puts him in the No. 3 position and uses his aggressive strokeplay after the openers and stabilize the innings, but this would require reshuffling the middle order and balancing the roles of other key batters like Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.

Another big headache for team management is deciding the No.7 spot for the Asia Cup 2025. India have three contenders for the No.7 spot, including Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma. The player slotted at the No.7 position in the batting line-up will walk out to bat when five wickets are down, often tasked with either stabilizing a collapsing innings or accelerating the scoring in the final overs.

If team management goes with an extra pace bowling all-rounder, Dube is likely to get the nod due to his six-hitting ability in the death overs while also contributing with seam bowling. If India opts for a more batting-heavy balance, Rinku Singh or Jitesh Sharma could be a preferred option. At the press conference, Ajit Agarkar hinted at Rinku's possible inclusion in the playing XI when he stated that an addition to the squad was the need for an extra batter.

Jasprit Bumrah is expected to lead the pace attack, but there is uncertainty whether he will play all the matches or select matches of the Asia Cup 2025, considering his workload concerns. However, the question is whether India to go with a three-pace attack or a two-pace attack, complemented by a spinner balancing both wicket-taking potential and control over the middle overs.

If Bumrah plays only selective matches in the tournament, India will need Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana to step in the absence of the pace spearhead. In order to maintain the pressure, the trio pace specialist will have to bowl in tandem. The team management will have to take a call on whether to persist with a three-pace attack throughout the tournament or mix and match with spinners to maintain balance and adaptability in different conditions.

Kuldeep Yadav has been included in the 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2024, but it does not guarantee his spot in the playing XI. Varun Chakravarthy is expected to lead the spin attack, given his impressive return to international cricket since last year, picking 33 wickets in T20Is, and Axar Patel is likely to be the first-choice all-round spinner, providing control in the middle overs.

If India picks three pacers, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana, Kuldeep's place in the playing XI could be under threat, as the team might prefer to include an extra batter or an all-rounder to maintain balance. If they go with a two-pace attack, Kuldeep could be added as an extra spinner. Team management faces a tricky decision in balancing the playing XI, weighing Kuldeep Yadav's wrist-spin threat against the need for extra batting depth or pace options, considering the conditions in the UAE.

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