One playing combination, multiple contenders for opening slots. The Indian team management has to solve a puzzle ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, which is scheduled to start on September 9. On the morning of September 4, 2025, a massive update came about India's possible opening pair for the tournament.

For the opening pair, Men in Blue has Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Sanju Samson. Among these three batters, management has to choose only 2 to form a pair. As per the latest reports, Sharma and Gill can open the innings in the T20I competition. These two batters with different batting styles can form an interesting bond at the top of the batting order. Sharma, a left-handed batter with an aggressive nature of batting, and Gill, right-handed, cool, and composed—a possible well-rounded combination India can get.

Now, another question remains: if Abhishek and Shubman are assigned to open the innings, then what will be Sanju Samson's role, who is another opener in the Asia Cup squad? As of now, there is no solid confirmation about Samson's possible role in the tournament. If the board asks Abhishek and Shubman to open, then Samson may have to bat in the middle order, where he has had less success in the past.

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Who will be the number 3 batter?

Number 3 is going to be another interesting position for India in the tournament, where Virat Kohli scored runs for years. With eight titles, India is the most successful team in Asia Cup history; they will compete in the 2025 edition to defend the title. 

Team India Asia Cup 2025 squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh.

Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.