Excitement is building as defending champions India prepare to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their Asia Cup 2025 group-stage clash. With stalwarts like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja having moved away from the T20 format, the spotlight now shifts to a new generation eager to make their mark.
Abhishek Sharma: The left-hander made his T20I debut last year and has played 18 games so far for India in the shortest format. He is now ready to roll against Pakistan for the first time in his career.
Shubman Gill: The newly-appointed vice-captain has played 4 ODIs against Pakistan, scoring 130 runs, which also includes a fifty. On Sunday, he will step out for the first time against men in green in T20Is.
Tilak Varma: Known for his T20I exploits, Tilak Varma will be excited to face Pakistan in what would be his first outing against the opposition. The left-handed batter has played 26 T20Is for India and has 749 runs in the format, including two hundreds and three half-centuries.
Sanju Samson: Sanju has played 43 T20Is for India but never against Pakistan. He was a part of India’s T20 World Cup squad but didn’t get a game. The wait would finally be over on Sunday if he gets the nod ahead of Jitesh Sharma.
Kuldeep Yadav: Pakistan have experienced Kuldeep’s brilliance in the ODIs – 15 wickets in 7 matches. On Sunday, the Chinaman bowler will step out against Pakistan for the first time in the shortest format of the game.
Rinku Singh: If Rinku Singh gets picked in the Playing XI for the Pakistan face-off, it will be his first game against the arch-rivals. In 33 T20Is for India, Rinku has scored 546 runs at an average of 42.
Varun Chakravarthy: Time for Pakistan to face India’s mystery spinner, who has been in top form. Varun has 34 wickets in 19 T20Is for India and will lookto add a few more on Sunday in what would be his first T20I against Pakistan.
Harshit Rana: The right-arm quick has played only one T20I for India so far. If he gets picked for the September 14 face-off, it would be his second match for India in the shortest format and the first against Pakistan.
Jitesh Sharma: It’s highly unlikely that Jitesh Sharma will get a game against Pakistan, as the management would go with Sanju. Jitesh has also never faced Pakistan earlier in his career.
The postShubman Gill To Sanju Samson – 9 Indians Yet To Play T20I Vs PAK appeared first on News18