Who Will Captain India in Asia Cup 2025? Know As Suryakumar Yadav Shares Update Post Surgery

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India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has made an encouraging return to batting practice following his lower right abdomen surgery. After undergoing sports hernia surgery in Munich in late June 2025, the 34-year-old has been recovering steadily and was recently seen training at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. 

Sharing a video on Instagram, Suryakumar expressed his excitement: “Can’t wait to be back doing what I love,” signaling progress in his fitness journey.

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A post shared by Surya Kumar Yadav (SKY) (@surya_14kumar)

The Asia Cup 2025, scheduled from September 9 to 28 in the UAE, marks a crucial tournament for Suryakumar as the Indian team prepares for a final T20I tune-up ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. India will start their campaign on September 10 against UAE at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, followed by a high-profile clash with Pakistan on September 14, and then face Oman on September 19 in the group stage. If India reach the top two of their group, they will progress to the Super Fours stage, playing three more matches, with the finals set for September 28.

While optimism remains high about Suryakumar’s availability, the final call depends on medical clearance closer to the tournament. To focus on his rehabilitation, he withdrew from the Duleep Trophy 2025 and dedicated himself to strength-building, mobility exercises, and regaining match fitness at the NCA Bengaluru. Should he not recover in time, potential stand-in captains include Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, or Sanju Samson, but management is confident he will lead the side.

Surya's Numbers

Suryakumar’s impact as a player goes beyond leadership. He has scored 2,598 T20I runs at a strike rate of 167.07, needing just 402 more to become the first player to reach 3,000 T20I runs with a strike rate above 160. He also requires one more century to equal the record of five T20I hundreds held by Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell. Additionally, with 146 sixes, he is close to becoming the fifth player to hit 150 sixes in T20 internationals, possibly achieving this milestone in the Asia Cup opener.

Asia Cup 2025 India Match Schedule:

September 10: India vs UAE (Dubai International Cricket Stadium)

September 14: India vs Pakistan (Dubai)

September 19: India vs Oman (Dubai)

Super Fours: September 21 to 26 (three matches against top qualifiers)
Final: September 28 in UAE

All matches will be T20 Internationals.

India’s Probable Squad for Asia Cup 2025

Openers:

Abhishek Sharma

Sanju Samson (wk)

Yashasvi Jaiswal

Middle-Order & Finishers:

Suryakumar Yadav

Tilak Varma

Rinku Singh or Shreyas Iyer

Shivam Dube or Riyan Parag

Jitesh Sharma (wk)

All-rounders:

Hardik Pandya

Axar Patel

Spinners:

Varun Chakaravarthy

Kuldeep Yadav

Pacers:

Arshdeep Singh

Harshit Rana

Jasprit Bumrah (fitness permitting; if unavailable, Prasidh Krishna or Khaleel Ahmed could slot in)