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India Asia Cup 2025 squad full list: Shubman Gill made vice captain; no Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal
India's Asia Cup 2025 squad announced: Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, while Shubman Gill has been named as his deputy.
The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI men's selection committee put all speculations to rest by naming Shubman Gill in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025. Gill, who did not feature in any of India's last three bilateral T20Is against Bangladesh, South Africa and England, found his way back into the mix on the back of a stellar show as captain and batter in the five-match Test series in England. Gill scored a record 754 runs at an average of 75. The 25-year-old was named as the vice-captain of the team that will be led by Suryakumar Yadav.
Gill's last T20I was in July 2024, but he was the vice captain of the side in that series against Sri Lanka. Something which was repeatedly mentioned by both Suryakumar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar in the press conference on Tuesday. Before that, he led India for the first time in a T20I series in Zimbabwe. As Gill was an equally important member of the ODI and Test squads, the selectors decided to remove him from the shortest formats. When a big tournament like the Asia Cup comes in, there was never going to be any doubt about Gill's spot.
What actually started the debate was the way Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson performed as an opening pair in Gill's absence. Both Abhishek and Sanju scored a couple of centuries each and pretty much cemented their places in the T20I XI. The selectors, however, have decided to bank on Gill's quality.
Gill has steadily built an impressive T20 resume, showcasing both consistency and flair. In 21 T20 Internationals, he has scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a healthy strike rate of 139.27, including one century and three fifties. His ability to anchor and accelerate was further highlighted in IPL 2025, where he amassed 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87, with six fifties. Notably, Gill is among the select few Indians with centuries across all three international formats.
Sanju Samson's place in India's Asia Cup XI in doubt
Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have formed a formidable opening pair in T20Is for India over the course of the last eight to ten months. Hence, it is no surprise that the duo retain their place in the squad for the Asia Cup. But it is unlikely that they would open the innings together as Gill is set to go back at the top of the order.
This, in fact, puts a doubt on Samson's place in the XI. Samson has rarely achieved success batting in the middle-order and if he is not opening, then it is unlikely that he would be India's first-choice keeper. That spot might go to Jitesh Sharma, who was rewarded for his performance in the IPL 2025 season for the eventual winners, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Jitesh has made a name for himself as a finisher and if India are going with Gill, Abhishek, Tilak and Surya as their top four with Hardik and Axar to follow, Jitesh is more suited to bat at No.7 than Sanju.
“Sanju Samson was opening the innings because Gill and Jaiswal were not playing, and Abhishek, with the way he performed, it was hard to look beyond him,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar, all but confirming India's opening pair for the Asia Cup.
The selectors have also opted to stick with Tilak Varma, who has been in phenomenal form in international T20Is. Tilak Varma scored back-to-back centuries against South Africa last year in the T20I series, and he was also in good form in the five-match series against England.
“We have lovely players around with amazing skills, which makes my job easier,” said captain Suryakumar Yadav.
No place for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer
The squad has no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer in the main squad. The latter set the stage on fire in the IPL for the Punjab Kings. However, the selectors have opted not to give him a chance for the Asia Cup.
However, the selectors have named Yashasvi Jaiswal in the standbys list. The other four in the list are Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.
Jasprit Bumrah had informed the selectors about his availability for the Asia Cup last week. Hence, it is no surprise that the ace speedster is in the main squad for the tournament. Bumrah will be ably supported by Arshdeep Singh, who has slowly and steadily emerged as a force to reckon with in the shortest format.
India Asia Cup 2025 Squad List: Surya Kumar 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.
Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel.
