IND vs PAK: It was a clinical effort by Suryakumar Yadav and his men in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2025 against UAE. The win was expected, but as usual, Team India under Gautam Gambhir's coaching delivered several surprises for their fans.
Firstly, after 15 successive tosses going the other way, finally Suryakumar was able to win a toss. It led India to bowl first. But as soon as the playing XI was announced, fans were surprised to see that India were only going with one specialist pacer in Jasprit Bumrah.
India used Shivam Dube more, showing that he can be used in coming matches. Axar Patel was slated to bat at no. 8, showing India's batting depth. Now the challenge will be bigger as India will face archrivals Pakistan on Sunday (September 14) in Dubai. Despite criticism over India playing Pakistan, one thing is sure: none of the cricket lovers will miss this match.
India are very strong and playing amazingly, but still the pressure of losing against Pakistan can change many things. So, can India make some changes to their squad, or do they need some changes to do well? Here we will talk about three changes India should make in the match against Pakistan on Sunday.
IND vs PAK: Three Changes India might make in their next game against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025
1. Get Arshdeep Singh in place of Axar
Arshdeep Singh was benched in the game against UAE. It came as a surprise to many fans, as he has been part of the team consecutively. But against Pakistan, India might not go with only Bumrah as a specialist spinner.
They might look to add Arshdeep, who bowls well at the top with swing and then is also good in the final overs. Hence, Axar might sit out, as India already have Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav as main spinners.
2. Bring Rinku Singh for Tilak Varma
The Indian batting unit is very powerful and has most of the players in good form. But as seen in the game against UAE, India went with captain Suryakumar Yadav at no. 3. It could be a tactical call, but if they stick with the same, then Tilak will be batting in the middle order.
At the international level, he has batted mostly in the top order. Hence, India can opt to go with Rinku Singh, who is a designated finisher and can bat in the middle order.
3. Jitesh Sharma in for Sanju Samson
The big change India made was the opening pair. Sanju Samson, who had been opening the batting with Abhishek Sharma for the last year or so, was supposed to bat at no. 5. But this is not the position he used to bat or have success.
Samson also seems to have struggled against short balls, which Pakistan might be working on. Hence, India should go with someone like Jitesh Sharma, who is a genuine batter at no. 5 or 6 and can play shots all around the ground. He can also be a game-changer down the order for India.