India, Sept. 10 -- Sanju Samson is a part of India's playing XI for the side's opening match of the Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the United Arab Emirates. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open the batting, while Tilak Varma will bat at No.4. It was being reported that Jitesh Sharma would be picked ahead of Samson, as the former has experience playing in the middle order. Jitesh also set the stage on fire in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru; however, the management has opted to stick with Samson.

Ever since Gill was named the vice-captain for the Asia Cup, it was a given that he would open the batting alongside Abhishek. The 25-year-old's inclusion in the squad made the road tricky for...