Gautam Gambhir's Clear Instruction To Indian Team Revealed Ahead Of Asia Cup 2025
Team India's first Asia Cup 2025 game will be against the hosts United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, September 10.
- India coach Gautam Gambhir urged the players to bring out something new whenever they play for the country
- "There is always one thing that the coach has always said to every player," Shivam Dube said ahead of Asia Cup
- "Whenever you play for the country, you have the opportunity to do something new," Dube added
The wait is about to end as the Asia Cup 2025 is all set to begin on September 9 with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong in the opening match. Team India's first game will be against the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, on Wednesday, September 10. Ahead of the upcoming continental tournament, Suryakumar Yadav and Co. had an intense training session on Friday in Dubai, where the entire team practiced for hours under the watch of head coach Gautam Gambhir.
India have been placed in Group A, where they will be facing the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman. The mouth-watering clash against arch-rivals Pakistan will be played on September 14. During the training session, India batter and vice-captain Shubman Gill expressed his excitement about being a part of the squad.
"Very excited. I think it's a great group. The way we have been playing in T20s has been nothing short of entertaining cricket. Very happy to join the group," said Gill in a video posted by the BCCI on X (formerly Twitter).
It is worth noting that Gill's last T20I appearance for India came in July 2024 against Sri Lanka. However, he has now been named as India's vice-captain.
Apart from this, India all-rounder Shivam Dube, who is also a part of the Asia Cup squad, also revealed the message given to the team by coach Gambhir.
"There is always one thing that the coach has always said to every player. Whenever you play for the country, you have the opportunity to do something new," Dube said.
Before heading to the nets, the Indian team engaged in warm-up stretches, including shuttle runs, high knees, and soft throws. As players moved to the nets, Gill effortlessly sent the ball through the covers off a half-volley. But Jasprit Bumrah bit back by perfectly nipping the ball back to beat India's vice-captain. The cat-and-mouse contest between the star duo had just begun.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav batted alongside Gill while searching for his rhythm after recovering from sports hernia surgery. Before them, Jitesh, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma came out armed with several bats.
Notably, Abhishek rolled his arm and bowled traditional left-arm spin, wrist spin, and his backspinner. India's bowling coach Morne Morkel kept a close eye on Shivam Dube's run-up and action.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
Gautam Gambhir