The 2025 edition of Asia Cup kicked off on September 9, with a Group B encounter between Afghanistan and Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi.

The eight participating teams in the continental showpiece have been divided into two groups of four. While India, Pakistan, UAE and Oman are placed in Group A, Group B includes 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, former cricketer Robin Uthappa has cautioned the Men in Blue against complacency, saying that the danger lies in underestimating opponents.

"I think complacency is a danger, so I’d make sure they take every game respectfully," Uthappa said while speaking on Sony Sports. "The quality of players is so good that sometimes you can take your foot off the pedal, thinking, ‘Listen, we’ll dominate, so you can relax.’ That is something they need to look out for."

The Suryakumar Yadav-led side enters the marquee event as firm favorites, having won 17 of their last 20 T20Is.

However, Uthappa stressed the need for team unity and warned about dark horses like Afghanistan posing a serious challenge.

"They need to make sure the health of the team is really good. In this unit, there may be two or three more guys who are going to be the key contenders for the World Cup next year. So you want everyone getting along, keeping the dressing room atmosphere light, but at the same time, playing for each other," Uthappa stated.

"A team like Afghanistan, where the bowling is really good, can put pressure on them," he remarked.

India’s marquee clash with Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, while they will face Oman in their last Group A fixture on September 19. The Super Four round is due to begin on September 20.

India squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Stand-bys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal