Team India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, was spotted engaging in a lively discussion with keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma during a practice session in Dubai ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup, which starts on September 9. A video shared by ESPNCricinfo showed the former opener using animated gestures while Jitesh stood in his batting gear.
With both Sanju Samson and Jitesh included in the Asia Cup squad, the question of who will be India’s wicket-keeper in the playing XI remains open. While both have made compelling cases for selection, Jitesh has not represented India since January 2024 and has played only nine T20Is.
Meanwhile, Samson is not guaranteed a spot either, despite his success as an opener, as Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma are also options to take the position.
You can watch the video here:
Jitesh Sharma, however, enjoyed a strong IPL season this year. During a successful campaign for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), the 31-year-old scored 261 runs across 15 matches, maintaining a strike rate of 176.35 and an average of 37.28. If deployed in the lower order, the keeper-batter could prove to be a valuable batting option.
Team India Set To Begin Asia Cup 2025 Campaign Against UAE
The Men in Blue will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 10 at the Dubai International Stadium. Placed in a group with Oman, UAE, and Pakistan, Suryakumar Yadav and his team are strong favourites to advance to the next stage. India enter the tournament as the defending champions, having won the 50-over edition in 2023.
This edition of the Asia Cup will be played in the T20 format as preparation for next year’s World Cup. Since Suryakumar Yadav took over as full-time captain, India have remained unbeaten in T20I series and will aim to maintain their winning streak, despite not having played a T20I since February 2025.
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