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Dinesh Karthik backs Shubman Gill as Asia Cup’s top run-scorer, picks Varun Chakravarthy for most wickets and Jitesh Sharma as the surprise player.
Shubman Gill is Suryakumar Yadav’s deputy at the Asia Cup (Picture credit: AFP)
Former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has said that Test captain Shubman Gill will be the highest run-scorer at the Asia Cup, backing the youngster to score more runs, coming on the back of a record-breaking Test tour of England, where he finished as the highest run-scorer between both teams.
Gill’s return to the Indian T20I team after over a year has sparked plenty of discussion, with his last appearance coming against Sri Lanka in July 2024.
Gill scored 650 runs while leading the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025 at a stunning average of 50.
In the bowling department, Karthik, while speaking on Cricbuzz, picked wily leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy to finish with the most wickets in the Asia Cup.
Karthik had no hesitation in picking the Indian team as the winners of the upcoming continental showpiece.
India, since winning the T20 World Cup last year, have continued their dominant run, winning five successive bilateral T20I series and 17 out of 20 matches.
Karthik picked Royal Challengers Bengaluru wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma as the surprise cricketer to watch out for in the Asia Cup.
Afghanistan take on Hong Kong in the tournament opener at Abu Dhabi on September 9. India will play their first match against the hosts UAE, in Dubai the following day.
Defending champions India had a full-fledged practice session at the ICC Academy in Dubai on Friday as they put the finishing touches to their Asia Cup preparations.
Vice-captain Gill, who led India to a 2-2 draw in the England Test series, echoed his captain Suryakumar Yadav’s sentiment around the team’s environment.
“Very excited, obviously. I think it’s a great group. And the way we have been playing in the T20s is nothing short of entertaining and terrific cricket. So, very excited to join the group,” Gill said.
The Indian Test captain attracted plenty of attention during fitness drills and net sessions, with Sanju Samson, Jitesh, Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma having extended batting stints on day one of their training on Friday.
September 07, 2025, 23:56 IST
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