Focus surrounding the Indian cricket team ahead of the Asia Cup 2025 centers on the opening batting order. Given the emphasis on explosive batting in T20 cricket, this discussion is natural. However, a crucial question also arises: What will the team’s bowling lineup look like? How many batsmen will India field, and how many spinners? Will the spinners in the squad adapt to the conditions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)? This question is pertinent because the tournament, scheduled for September, won’t be easy for spinners.
The Asia Cup 2025 will be held in the UAE from September 9th to 28th. The entire tournament will be played in only two cities: Dubai and Abu Dhabi. India is expected to play almost all its matches in Dubai. The team played Champions Trophy matches on the same ground in February-March 2025 and won the title. Returning to the same ground a few months later, India will once again be a contender for the title, with the spin attack likely featuring the pairing of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep and Varun took 16 wickets together in the Champions Trophy. Expectations will be high from them this time around. However, these hopes and plans might be disrupted due to the current conditions in the UAE. The weather in the UAE is not the same as it was in February-March, which will impact the spinners. UAE cricketer Alishan Sharafu revealed that the heat and humidity will pose a challenge for spinners. He mentioned observing difficulties in gripping the ball during practice matches due to the humid weather and moisture in the air.
This means that even if the outfield is dry, the heat and humidity will cause players to sweat, resulting in moisture on their hands. This can make it difficult to grip the ball correctly, especially as the ball’s shine doesn’t wear off quickly in a 20-over innings, increasing the risk of the ball slipping out of the hand. This will make it challenging for spinners to control their line and length, especially for wrist spinners like Kuldeep and Varun.
This challenge applies not only to the Indian team but also to other teams. Considering this, India might need to make changes to its playing eleven, choosing between the two spinners. This is because Axar Patel will likely be in the role of the other spinner, and the Indian team can’t include four bowlers who cannot bat. With Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh already in the playing 11 as two fast bowlers who cannot bat, one of the two spinners might have to sit out, which could help the Indian team.