The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee unveiled India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, throwing up a few surprises. Test captain Shubman Gill returns to the T20I setup as vice-captain under Suryakumar Yadav, while stars Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are back to bolster the attack.
At the same time, the absence of Shreyas Iyer, despite his stellar IPL 2025 run, and the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal have sparked debate.
Captain and coach will take the call on the best balance for the team. Once we get to Dubai, we will have a bit more clarity.
Gill’s Test form earns T20 reward
Gill, who amassed 752 runs on the England tour, including a double century, has been rewarded for his form even if it came in the longer format. His inclusion, however, adds to the top-order logjam with Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma also vying for places.
Suryakumar Yadav defended Gill’s recall, reminding that he was already part of India’s T20 leadership group.
The last time he played T20 for India was post the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, when we started a new cycle. After that, he got busy with Tests. So, he was always in the fray, and we are happy to have him.
Agarkar echoed the sentiment: “Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point. Abhishek’s performances make it hard to leave him out, plus his bowling is handy. But Shubman was vice-captain the last time he played T20 cricket.”
Iyer, Jaiswal unlucky to miss out
The biggest talking point was Shreyas Iyer’s omission. Fresh from scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and leading Punjab Kings to the IPL final, Iyer still failed to find a place in the 15.
About Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.
On Jaiswal, too, Agarkar pointed to tough competition: “It’s just unfortunate. Abhishek’s performances over the last year, plus the fact that he can bowl, gave us another option. One of them was always going to miss out, and unfortunately, Yashasvi has to wait.”
Bumrah carefully managed
With Bumrah back after playing just three Tests in England, fitness questions surfaced. Agarkar reassured fans that the star pacer is being carefully managed.
We want him available for big games — World Cups, Champions Trophy, England or Australia series. That won’t always be possible, but he’s unique and special, so we take extra care. It won’t change whether it’s this series or the next six months.
The road to T20 World Cup begins
Both Suryakumar and Agarkar emphasised that the Asia Cup marks the start of preparations for next year’s T20 World Cup. Gill’s reinstatement as vice-captain hints at the selectors’ long-term leadership plans.
He led in Zimbabwe, and in Tests he is already captain. We see leadership qualities in him, and the way he batted in England, under pressure, exceeded expectations.
India’s Asia Cup Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill (vc), Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav (c). Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
