NEW DELHI: The preparations for the Asia Cup have already started as the Suryakumar Yadav-led side arrived in Dubai in different batches. The tournament will kick off with the Afghanistan vs Hong Kong clash on September 9, whereas India will open their campaign against the UAE the next day in Dubai.

It's been a month since India last played cricket, which was against England on August 4, and switching from red-ball cricket to white-ball cricket is surely not going to be an easy task.

Keeping in mind India's Test series against the West Indies, which is scheduled to begin on October 2, four days after the Asia Cup, the team will continue to practice with the red ball, Inside Sport reported.

The report further added that Test captain Shubman Gill, who was also named vice-captain of the T20I side, will continue training with the red ball to be fully prepared for the upcoming challenge.

The Indian team has taken a different route this time by flying directly to Dubai. Normally, the entire squad assembles in Mumbai before a tournament, but this time the players are arriving in Dubai in different batches and joining the team there.

Sports Yaari has shared an exclusive video of the players landing at Dubai Airport. On Thursday, the players departed for Dubai from various airports. Among them, head coach Gautam Gambhir, captain Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya were seen flying out of Mumbai Airport.

Sports Yaari shared a video showing Gambhir walking out of Dubai Airport for the Asia Cup 2025. Meanwhile, several videos have gone viral on social media showing batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, and Hardik Pandya also coming out of Dubai Airport.