Following the Test tour of England, India’s next international assignment will be the Asia Cup 2025 T20 competition, which will take place in the UAE from September 9 to September 28. The Men in Blue are the defending Asia Cup champions. With eight titles, they have won the competition the most times.
Team India has been drawn in Group A for the Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan, hosts UAE, and Oman are the other three teams in their group. The Men in Blue will begin their campaign with a match against UAE in Dubai on September 10. On September 14, they will face arch rivals Pakistan at the same venue. Team India’s third group match will be against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
The recent T20I home assignment of the Men in Blue took place with England, and lasted between January 22 and February 2. The five match series was won by the hosts 4-1. The following are three Indian players who have represented their country in T20Is against England, but are doubtful to be chosen by the 2025 Asia Cup.
1. Mohammad Shami
Mohammad Shami remains unsure of his future prospects at the international game owing to fitness and injury concerns. His talent is undisputable, and questions whether he is ready to make a comeback are still there.
The 34 year old has made two T20i outings against England this year, in which he failed to grab a wicket in Rajkot however snapping up 3/25 in the last match in Wankhede. In 2025, he also featured in the Champions trophy where he took five wickets against Bangladesh and was hit with 74 runs in nine overs in the final.
In the upcoming Duleep Trophy (August 28September 15) Shami has been selected to play in East Zone. But as India start planning their moves towards to the 2026 T20 World Cup, the senior pacer might be left out of the Asia Cup 2025 unless he is in good shape.
2. Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Kumar Reddy, a batting all-rounder, played in the first Twenty20 International against England at Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens. He did neither bat or bowl, and a side strain forced him to miss the rest of the matches. He then played the Birmingham and Lord’s Tests during the England tour before being sidelined with a left knee injury.
The 22-year-old is receiving rehab in the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Telegraph India reports and adds that the rehabilitation of the all-rounder is going on quite well but only a clear picture of his availability in Asia Cup 2025 will be available in the next week as per a BCCI source.
With over a month until Team India’s first Asia Cup 2205 match, Reddy may recover completely, but it is also possible that he may not. The Andhra teenager has played four T20Is and scored 90 runs at a strike rate of 180, including a best of 74. With his medium pace, Reddy has three wickets at an economy rate of 7.88.
3. Ramandeep Singh
Ramandeep Singh was added to India’s T20I squad for the series against England after Rinku Singh suffered lower-back spasms while fielding in the opening match. The 28-year-old, however, did not play any of the matches in the series against England because he was mostly selected as a cover.
Ramandeep has played two T20Is for India, both of which came during a tour of South Africa late last year. On his Centurion debut, he scored 15 goals from six attempts. Ramandeep did not bat during the fourth T20I in Johannesburg. He did, however, score 1-42 from 3.2 overs, bowling at medium pace.
Ramandeep is unlikely to make Team India’s selection for the Asia Cup 2025, despite having a solid T20 record.
