NEW DELHI: Defending champions India will begin their final phase of preparation for the Asia Cup 2025 with a full-fledged practice session on Friday evening at the ICC Academy in Dubai. The training, scheduled from 6 to 9 pm, will mark the team’s first collective workout ahead of the tournament.Unlike previous tournaments, no preparatory camp was organised in India this time. Instead, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked the players to assemble directly in Dubai for an extended run of practice sessions before their campaign opener.Squad members have started leaving in batches. Captain Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya are among those who have already departed, while head coach Gautam Gambhir is scheduled to reach Dubai on Thursday evening from Mumbai. Newly appointed vice-captain Shubman Gill will link up with the squad from Bengaluru.There would be no group departure, with players travelling separately and joining the squad at different times. All members have been asked to assemble in Dubai by Thursday evening, with preparations officially getting underway from Friday.The tournament begins on Tuesday, September 9, with Afghanistan facing Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. India, aiming to defend their crown, will start their campaign against hosts UAE in Dubai on Wednesday, September 10. The team is then scheduled to take on arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, September 14, before playing Oman on September 19. The playoffs will follow from September 20.
India’s squad for Asia Cup
- Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
- Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel
