Dubai (PTI): India opted to bowl against United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the Asia Cup here on Wednesday.

The game marks the return of Shubman Gill to T20Is and he will open alongside his Punjab teammate Abhishek Sharma.

As per the team sheet, captain Suryakumar Yadav is expected to come in at No 3 ahead of Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson, who are slated to bat Nos 4 and 5 respectively.

India are going in with one specialist pacer in Jasprit Bumrah while the other fast bowling option is Hardik Pandya.

Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy are the two frontline spinners in the playing eleven.

Teams:

India: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.

United Arab Emirates: Muhammad Waseem(c), Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh.

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Raebareli (UP) (PTI): Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Raebareli Rahul Gandhi will arrive here on May 19 on a two-day visit, a Congress office-bearer said on Monday.

Congress district president of Raebareli Pankaj Tiwari said that on the first day, Gandhi will inaugurate a marriage hall at Thakurain Kheda in Bachhrawan. Subsequently, he will address a public meeting in Khiron. In Lalganj, he will participate in a 'mahila samvaad' programme.

He further said that on May 20, he will meet the public during a 'Janata Darshan' programme at the Bhuyemau Guest House. Following this, he will participate in the unveiling of a statue of Veera Pasi and attend a public meeting in Lodhwari.

He will then depart for Amethi.

In Amethi, Gandhi will hold meetings with party functionaries, workers and senior leaders at the party's district headquarters, Congress district unit chief Pradeep Singhal said on Sunday.

According to political observers, this meeting would form a part of the strategic preparations for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, alongside an organisational review.

Discussions during the meeting are likely to focus on strengthening the party organisation down to the booth level, increasing participation of youth and women workers, and accelerating public outreach campaigns across villages.

According to sources, a large number of party workers -- from Gram Sabha to the district level -- have been invited to attend the meeting.

Gandhi is expected to interact directly with workers.

During the one-day visit, the Congress leader will also travel to Poore Ramdeen Pandit -- the native village of late Congress district president Yogendra Mishra -- to meet his family members.

Mishra, considered a close associate of the Gandhi family, passed away on March 1 following a prolonged illness.

Political activities in the district have intensified ahead of Gandhi's visit, and party workers have already started making arrangements for his reception.

Kishori Lal Sharma, the Congress MP from Amethi, is also holding regular meetings with local leaders and functionaries to review the preparations.