Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav-Sanju Samson DISCARDED; Virender Sehwag picks India’s match-winners

Legendary batter Virender Sehwag believes that India has the firepower to lift the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE next month. The Indian cricket team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, with the big game against Pakistan scheduled on September 14.

Ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, Virender Sehwag has named three players he thinks can be match-winners for the Men in Blue in the UAE. However, the former Indian opener has surprisingly snubbed Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson among his match winners.

Virender Sehwag names Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, and Varun Chakravarthy as India’s Asia Cup 2025 game-changers

India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is set to return to T20Is for the first time since the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, remains India’s ultimate strike weapon.

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Abhishek Sharma, who is known for his explosive batting at the top, and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who starred in India’s ICC Champions Trophy-winning campaign earlier this year in the UAE, are Sehwag’s top picks.

The former Indian opener believes that Bumrah, Abhishek, and Chakravarthy can be the game changers for the Men in Blue in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE. Notably, the Men in Blue are entering the continental tournament as the defending champions.

They can win matches on their own: Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag was quoted as saying by Sony Sports: “I think Abhishek Sharma can be a game-changer. Bumrah is always a game-changer. Varun Chakravarthy, with his mystery bowling, was very effective in the Champions Trophy and in the T20 format as well. So, these are some game changers for India who can win matches on their own.”

There were rumors that Bumrah would not play in all games in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 to manage his workload. And Sehwag emphasized the importance of managing the workload of fast bowlers but pointed out that tournaments like the Asia Cup and the World Cup rely heavily on having India’s top pacers fit and firing.

Sehwag highlighted that protecting players like Bumrah is crucial for both their long-term careers and India’s chances of lifting major trophies.

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India’s deadly trio's T20I numbers

Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah’s T20I record is stunning. He has so far scalped 89 wickets in 70 matches at an average of 17.74, including 15 scalps in India’s title-winning ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign in the UAE and Caribbean.

On the other hand, Abhishek Sharma has smashed 535 runs in just 17 T20Is at a staggering strike rate of 193.84, with two centuries and two fifties to his name.

The Punjab lad’s 135 against England remains the highest individual T20I score for India. Speaking about Varun Chakravarthy, the mystery spinner has 33 wickets in 15 T20Is to his name to date, making him one of India’s most potent weapons.

Well, India is slotted in Group A alongside the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman for the Asia Cup 2025. After their tournament opener against the UAE on September 10, India will face their biggest rivals, Pakistan, on September 14 in Dubai, before finishing group-stage games against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.