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Asia Cup 2025 is set to begin on September 9, and this time, the tournament will follow the T20 format, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in 2026.

Team India will kick off its campaign on September 10 with a match against the UAE. While the official squad is yet to be announced, intense speculation surrounds the choice of India’s wicketkeeper-batter.

Interestingly, a name other than Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul is gaining traction.

Cricket fans are eagerly awaiting the squad announcement, and reports suggest that Sanju Samson is currently the top contender for the wicketkeeper’s role in the tournament.

Although both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are in the fray, Pant’s injury during the England Test series may keep him out of the Asia Cup. He suffered a fracture in his right leg after being struck by a Chris Woakes delivery while attempting a reverse shot in the fourth Test.

Although Pant bravely continued to bat, the injury ruled him out of the fifth match, and his availability for the Asia Cup remains uncertain.

Sanju Samson has played 42 T20 Internationals for India, accumulating 861 runs at an impressive strike rate of 152.39. His T20I career includes 3 centuries and 2 fifties, with a career-best score of 111. His consistency and recent form make him a strong candidate to take on the wicketkeeping duties in the upcoming tournament.

In his final appearance for India to date — the 5th T20I against England at the Wankhede Stadium on 2 February 2025 — Sanju Samson’s outing was disappointing.

He was dismissed early by Mark Wood, for 16 runs off just 12 balls, injecting hope with some powerful shots at the start. Despite smashing a six off the first ball and rattling the field with 16 runs in the opening over, Samson couldn’t build on it and miscuing led to an early exit.

India totaled 247/9 and won the match by a massive 150-run margin, but Samson’s lack of impact with the bat stood out as a rare failure in an otherwise dominant display.