Overview

• With no pre-tournament camp in India, players reported directly to Dubai and held their first full practice at the ICC Academy on September 5.
• Vice-captain Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and the full squad trained under the lights as India tune up to face UAE on September 10, Pakistan on September 14 and Oman on September 19.
• The wicketkeeper decision remains unsettled, with Sanju Samson competing with Jitesh Sharma for the single spot in the XI.
• Sunil Gavaskar says team balance could sideline either Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube, while Irfan Pathan’s preferred XI places Samson at No. 5 and omits Rinku.
• Opposition storylines include Mike Hesson’s retooled Pakistan and a UAE squad featuring multiple Indian-origin players ahead of the opening fixture in Dubai.