Team India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav hugged his wife Devisha Shetty outside the Mumbai International Airport on his way to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for Asia Cup 2025, beginning on September 9. A video of the same surfaced on Instagram as he also posed for some photos for the paparazzi.
The Men in Blue, who are the defending champions, will start as overwhelming favourites due to their recent form in limited-overs cricket. With Suryakumar Yadav forming the fulcrum of Team India's batting line-up, the veteran's form will be crucial if they are to defend their title successfully. The 34-year-old has an outstanding T20I record, registering 2598 runs in 83 T20Is at 38.20 alongside a strike rate of 167.07.
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India also have four batters in the ICC men's ranking for T20I batters. Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma hold the top two spots, while Suryakumar is at sixth. Although Yashasvi Jaiswal is not part of India's main squad, he holds the 10th place in the rankings.
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.
India yet to lose a T20I series since Suryakumar Yadav became full-time captain
The Men in Blue haven't lost a T20I series since the Mumbai-born cricketer became the full-time captain. They won at home against Bangladesh, England, followed by beating Sri Lanka and South Africa away.
Although India will begin as favorites, the likes of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will pose threat to the defending champions. The game against Pakistan will especially be a high-stakes encounter due to it taking place on the backdrop of a recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir.
