Asia Cup 2025: Samson to bat at No. 5 in Irfan Pathan’s strongest Playing XI

Irfan Pathan, one of India’s greatest all-rounders of all time, has revealed his preferred playing XI for the Indian squad ahead of the Men’s Asia Cup 2025. The showpiece event will be contested in the game’s shortest format, and India has already announced their roster for the competition, which begins on September 9 and will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Irfan has chosen Punjab’s Abhishek Sharma and vice-captain Shubman Gill to open the innings, with the in-form Tilak Varma at No. 3. Captain Suryakumar Yadav has been chosen to bat at number four, while Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel are the two most experienced all-rounders selected by the Baroda-born via his official YouTube channel on Saturday, September 6.

Irfan’s pick for wicketkeeper is intriguing, as he has relegated Sanju Samson to No. 5 and asked him to carry the responsibility behind the wickets as well.

However, the selectors have chosen Jitesh Sharma as their first-choice wicketkeeper, and the Vidarbha batsman is also experienced batting in the middle order. However, Samson has batted in the middle order in the Kerala Cricket League and appeared in good form, which may have influenced the cricketer-turned-commentator to choose the Thiruvananthapuram native.

The choice among the bowlers was rather simple: Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm unorthodox would handle the spin department. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh will lead the pace battery. Hardik will also provide a seaming option, while Axar and Abhishek will serve as spinners.

Irfan Pathan’s strongest India Playing XI for Asia Cup 2025: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy