Kuldeep Yadav Is At His Peak, Will Be A Big Weapon For India In Asia Cup: Ravi Shastri

The 2025 Asia Cup starts on September 9 (Tuesday), and it goes without saying that India will enter the competition as overwhelming favourites, being the number one ranked side in the world. The Men in Blue’s batting is, without question, formidable, but what’s set to make them an unstoppable force in the upcoming Asia Cup is their ludicrous bowling line-up, which consists of Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. 

Upon first look, one might pick out Bumrah as the primary weapon for the side in the multi-nation tournament, but former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes it’ll be Kuldeep who will play a significant role for the side, with the wrist-spinner currently at his ‘peak’.

“I think Kuldeep is at his peak now. He did extremely well in IPL and unfortunately, couldn’t make it to the team in the Tests in England because of the conditions and the strength that India have. But he will be a vital cog in the wheel in the Asia Cup and going forward along with Varun and Axar Patel,” Shastri told Times of India.

At the 2025 Champions Trophy, which India won, they played both Kuldeep and Varun, choking opposition batters with spin in the middle-overs. Shastri insisted that, come the Asia Cup, the Men in Blue should employ the same tactics.

“If you have two wrist-spinners of that quality, I would love to have them in my side,” Shastri said.

This Indian T20 side has been filled with big-hitters in the last year or so, but the 2025 Asia Cup will see the return of Shubman Gill, who last played a T20I for the country in July 2024. Shastri reckoned that Gill will unquestionably be a ‘pillar’ for the side across formats, but asserted that the team India Test captain will have to make some adjustments to thrive in slow conditions in Dubai.

“Gill has all the shots in the book. He gets the big scores. Just see his IPL record over the last few years. And especially after a tour of England, he will be on a high. But, in Dubai, the pitches could be slower and even the top shot-makers will have to adjust,” Shastri said.

“Having said that, Gill will be a pillar of strength for Indian teams across formats for the next 10 years.”

The former India head coach reckoned that this current Indian side is the team to beat, not just in the Asia Cup but in the T20 format currently. 

“With the amount of IPL cricket being played, the confidence and the shot-making ability of some of the players is unbelievable. They are young, they have the exuberance of youth, and if they get good conditions, these guys can be real entertainers. They are quite clearly the team to beat,” he said.