Asia Cup: Madan Lal backs India as favourites, advocates for Kuldeep's inclusion

Former India cricketer and 1983 World Cup winner Madan Lal has backed India as firm favourites to defend their Asia Cup (T20) title in Dubai. While he credited the team’s skill set, he also acknowledged the unpredictability of the shortest format and advocated for the inclusion of wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav in the first playing XI.

"India is a strong favourite due to their skilled team. The unpredictability of the T20 format and the performances of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan-especially Afghanistan, who are currently playing well-make for an exciting tournament. Afghanistan could challenge Pakistan, whose current form and confidence levels are uncertain. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are all strong contenders," he told ANI.

The former right-arm pacer also shared his thoughts on team selection, particularly regarding Kuldeep Yadav. Yadav's last appearance in India's T20 side came during the victorious 2024 T20 World Cup final against South Africa. More recently, he did not feature in any of India's five Test matches against England but has returned to white-ball cricket following a triumphant Champions Trophy campaign.

"Kuldeep Yadav should be included in the team due to his unique bowling style, which is difficult to counter in T20 cricket. The final decision will, of course, depend on wicket conditions and team combination. Ideally, two spinners and three pace bowlers should be included in Dubai," Lal added.

Kuldeep's IPL 2025 performance was impressive, claiming 15 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 7.08 and an average of 24.07 for Delhi Capitals. With Varun Chakravarthy's spot secured and Axar Patel included for his all-round abilities, Yadav will face stiff competition for a place in the side.

India will kick off their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by the much-anticipated clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14.

India squad for Asia Cup T20: Surya Kumar 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