The 2025 edition of Asia Cup got underway in the United Arab Emirates on September 9. The eight participating teams have been divided into two groups of four.
While India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman are placed in Group A, Group B features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong.
Team India will begin their title defence against the UAE on September 10 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Ahead of their campaign opener, legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned whether the tournament offers any real challenge to the Indian team.
“They can almost include a South Africa and make it an Afro-Asia Cup to make the tournament competitive. As it is now, they should probably include an India A side for it to be some contest. We’ve not even spoken about Bangladesh. Because there is nothing to talk about with them. How are these teams going to even compete against India?” Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
The Suryakumar Yadav-led side enters the continental showpiece as firm favorites, having won 17 of their last 20 T20Is.
Ashwin is hoping for a surprise winner just to inject excitement into the regional competition. “In a way, I really hope someone else wins the tournament. Because only then will there be a contest in Asia. None of these teams pick Kuldeep or Varun. And we’ve not even spoken about India’s powerful batting line-up, which has match-winners galore.”
The 38-year-old also dismissed suggestions that the Asia Cup could act as a build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
“This is not some curtain raiser for the 2026 T20 World Cup, it’s only a curtain. This tournament isn’t some major yardstick for it. Even against the so-called threat of the Afghanistan bowlers, if India bat well and score 170+, who will Afghanistan chase this down with? It’s nearly impossible.”
Ashwin summed up the challenge for India’s opponents. “The only way to defeat India is by somehow restricting them to 155 on a good day, and then chase it down. Normally a T20 is thrilling but India will likely make even that one-sided in this Asia Cup,” he remarked.
