Asia Cup 2025: Ajinkya Rahane names India's most 'underrated player'
06 Sep 2025

Ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, veteran Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has named all-rounder Axar Patel as one of the team's most underrated players.

The tournament will kick off on September 9 with Afghanistan taking on Hong Kong.

India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will play their first match against hosts UAE in Dubai on September 10.

Axar's role in Dubai conditions
Player evolution

Rahane praised Axar's development as a cricketer over the last few years in a video on his YouTube channel.

He emphasized Patel's importance for the team in Dubai's spin-friendly conditions.

"I feel he is a very much underrated player. He has improved as a player, as a cricketer, in the last two to three years," Rahane said on his YouTube channel.

Rahane lists all-rounder's capabilities
Player attributes

Rahane highlighted Axar's all-round capabilities, saying he has performed well whenever given a chance as a batter or bowler.

"He can bowl with the new ball in the powerplay, he can bowl in the middle overs, and if needed, he can bowl in the death overs," Rahane said.

He also stressed on Patel's fielding abilities while noting his importance for India in Asia Cup 2025.

Hardik Pandya's role in Asia Cup
Player endorsement

Rahane also endorsed all-rounder Hardik Pandya as a key player for India in the tournament.

"Hardik's role in this Asia Cup will be really important. As an all-rounder, he has done very well for the team in the past," Rahane said.

He added that he hopes to see Pandya bowl his four overs, which would give Team India a good balance.

What is India's squad for the Asia Cup?
Squad

India's squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar 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.

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel.