The Asia Cup 2025 is underway, and India is set to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 10. This will be India's first match of the tournament, marking the start of their campaign to defend their 2023 title.

Pitch Conditions

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is known for offering a balanced contest between bat and ball in T20Is. Historically, the pitch has been considered spin-friendly. However, with this being the start of the season, the pitch is expected to be fresh and may initially favor pace bowlers. Fast bowlers can expect good bounce and carry early in the innings, with potential for significant swing with the new ball. As the match progresses, the pitch tends to slow down, bringing spinners into play. This makes the venue suitable for India's spin trio: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy.

The average first innings score in T20Is at this venue is around 160-170. However, a score of 170-180 could be a par score for this match, especially with the presence of some grass on the surface. The shorter boundaries (65-70m) may also encourage big hitting. Teams batting first have won 52% of the 148 matches played at this stadium. Recent games indicate that dew could be a factor, giving a slight edge to the chasing team.

Weather Forecast

Dubai's weather on September 10 is expected to be hot and humid, typical for the UAE in early autumn. The temperature is expected to range from a high of 41°C during the day to a low of 31°C at night. The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM local time (8:00 PM IST). There is no chance of rain (0% precipitation), but dew could play a factor in the second innings, potentially aiding the chasing side. Humidity levels around 50-60% might make conditions sticky for players, potentially favoring teams that adapt well to spin later in the game.

Head-to-Head Record

India and the UAE have met only once in T20Is, during the 2016 Asia Cup in Mirpur, Bangladesh. India won that match comfortably by nine wickets. In ODIs, India leads 3-0. Overall, India has dominated UAE in limited white-ball clashes.

Team News

Suryakumar Yadav will captain India in his first multi-nation tournament, following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the T20 format. Shubman Gill is expected to open with Abhishek Sharma. The predicted playing XI for India includes a mix of experienced and young players: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana/Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, and Varun Chakravarthy.

The UAE will be captained by Muhammad Waseem. They will be looking to leverage their home conditions and players like Alishan Sharafu to cause an upset.

Considering the pitch conditions, weather, and team strengths, the team winning the toss may opt to bowl first.