- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 19 Sep 2025 10:43 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
IND vs OMN Asia Cup 2025: India will face Oman during their last group stage match on Friday, and all eyes will be on the team management as they will try to balance the workload and work on the game time of a few players before the Super Four stage. Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir might not make any changes to the playing XI, but there are high chances that star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah will give this match a miss.
Since the matches will be held on September 21, 24, and 26, and the summit clash will be held on September 28, the Men in Blue might play in 4 matches in the next week. And to keep their star pacer afresh before the knockout matches, it is the right call.
Bumrah has received the much-needed rest as he had bowled in just 4 overs against Pakistan. Since he is quite competitive, he might not want to sit out. But the team management does know how important it is to keep Bumrah fresh for bigger matches.
Also Read: IND vs OMN Asia Cup 2025 Weather And Pitch Report: Will Rain Play Spoilsport In Abu Dhabi On Friday
If Bumrah is dropped, then Arshdeep Singh will replace him in the playing XI. He has been warming up the match-up owing to the team's preference for multi-skills options and their depth in the batting attack, but this match might give him a chance to strengthen his position in the playing XI. He is also on the verge of achieving the milestone of taking 100 wickets in this format. Harshit Rana is another pacer who can be included in the playing XI if Gambhir wants to experience and give the spinners some rest.
As far as the batting attack is concerned, the Indian batters will want to spend some more time in the middle. Their one-sided one win against the UAE and Pakistan hasn't given the middle-order any time to settle in. The match against Oman will therefore give players like Suryakumar Yadav, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma the much-needed match practice. Gambhir might also make some changes in the batting attack and prepare the batsmen for Super 4 matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The surface in Abu Dhabi is less spinner-friendly than that in Dubai, and that's why it might force the Indian team management to include one more fast bowler. Although it is highly unlikely that the Indian team management will make any big changes, the upcoming match will give them a chance for some tactical rotation.
India predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.