Legendary cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri have thrown their weight behind the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side to excel in the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup, starting Tuesday in the UAE.
Along with India, the 17th edition of the tournament features seven other teams, including arch-rivals Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, UAE, Oman, and Hong Kong, competing for continental glory and vital preparation ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
India begin their Group A campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by matches against Pakistan (Sept 14) and Oman (Sept 19). The top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Four stage, with the final scheduled for September 28 in Dubai.
“As India steps onto the Asia Cup stage under the dynamic leadership of Surya Kumar Yadav, we witness a blend of tenacity and experience steering the side. Surya’s ability to inspire through his innovative batting and captaincy complements the other members of the team,” Gavaskar said in a statement by Sony Sports Network, the tournament’s official broadcaster.
“This squad symbolises the future of Indian cricket: diverse, versatile, and combative. The Asia Cup offers them a platform not just to defend India’s supremacy but to lay the foundation for a new era of Indian dominance in T20 cricket,” the little master added.
Shastri pressed on the presence of in-form Shubman Gill as the vice-captain to add value to the team’s cause in the competition.
“With Surya Kumar Yadav leading from the front and Shubman Gill mastering the art of youthful leadership as vice-captain, this Indian squad exemplifies the perfect mix of experience and potential,” said Shastri, the former India all-rounder and head coach.
“Players like Jasprit Bumrah, Abhishek Sharma, and Hardik Pandya bring international class, while talents like Tilak Varma and Harshit Rana add spark and depth. The Asia Cup 2025 will be the crucible where their mettle is tested, and I believe this team, under Surya’s calm and aggressive captaincy, will rise to the occasion and set new benchmarks for Indian cricket,” Shastri added.
Joining Gavaskar and Shastri in the commentary panel for the world feed will be Sanjay Manjrekar, Robin Uthappa, Bazid Khan, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Urooj Mumtaz, Russel Arnold, Simon Doull, Mike Haysman, and Athar Ali Khan.
The Hindi commentary panel will feature Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Ajay Jadeja, Abhishek Nayar, Vivek Razdan, and Saba Karim. WV Raman and Bharat Arun will be part of the Tamil feed, while Venkatapathy Raju, Venugopal Rao, Ravi Teja, and Gnaneswara Rao will provide Telugu coverage.