India and Pakistan have announced their squads for the Asia Cup 2025, sparking debate over key selections and omissions. India banks on Bumrah’s return and Gill’s form, while Pakistan takes a bold approach by excluding Babar Azam and Rizwan.
India and Pakistan have both their squads for the Asia Cup 2025. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors picked a 17-member squad for the continental tournament. Pakistan was the first to announce their official squad, as Afghanistan announced their preliminary squad. In India, on the other hand, the BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar unveiled the Men in Blue’s 15-member unit at a press conference at the board’s headquarters in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19.
As India and Pakistan announced their squads for the eight-team competition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), let’s analyse in depth about key picks, omissions, balance of the squads, and what it means for the clash between arch-rivals.
Who are the key picks for India and Pakistan?
The BCCI selectors, led by Ajit Agarkar, made crucial and calculated selections for the Asia Cup 2025, banking on Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership, Shubman Gill’s consistency, and Jasprit Bumrah’s return to spearhead the pace bowling attack. Gill made his return to the T20I fold after a year away from the format to focus on red-ball cricket and was handed vice-captaincy, signalling the transition of taking over the captaincy baton from Suryakumar Yadav.
Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion in the Asia Cup squad gave a big boost to India’s pace bowling line-up, which includes Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube. Despite workload concerns, Bumrah reportedly informed the selectors about his availability for the continental tournament. The selectors wanted to give the pace spearhead an extended break before the West Indies Test series, but the 31-year-old made himself available for the Asia Cup.
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Pakistan, on the other hand, opted for a bold and aggressive strategy by backing Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Fakhar Zaman, and left out stalwarts like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Saim Ayub has been considered one of the next big things for Pakistan cricket and was the highest run-getter of the three-match T20I series against West Indies, amassing 130 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 43.33 in 3 matches.
Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf form a formidable pace bowling duo, supported by Hasan Ali, backed up by mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed. Meanwhile, Pakistan will be led by Salman Ali Agha, who took over the T20I captaincy baton from Babar Azam.
Omissions that left fans and experts divided
One of the things that has been common after India and Pakistan’s squad announcements is that there have been debates over the exclusions of certain players from the squad. Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion from the squad became a huge topic of discussion in India. Iyer was omitted from the 15-member unit despite having a brilliant IPL 2025, ODI series against England, and Champions Trophy 2025, where he was India’s highest run-getter of the tournament.
Jaiswal had quite an impressive run in the IPL 2025 and had a brilliant outing in the Test series against England. Yashasvi Jaiswal was at least added to the reserves, but Shreyas Iyer’s name was neither in the squad nor the stand-by players. Another topic of debate was Harshit Rana being picked over Prasidh Krishna despite having a moderate season in the IPL 2025 and his only appearance in T20I. Krishna was the IPL 2025 Purple Cap winner and was instrumental in India’s victory in the Oval decider, where he picked 8 wickets.
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Pakistan selectors, on the other hand, excluded Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the squad, despite being their batting mainstay over the last several years. Babar and Rizwan’s last appearance in the T20Is was in December 2024. Babar Azam is the leading run-getter for Pakistan with 4223 runs in 128 matches, yet left out of the squad.
Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson asked Babar Azam to improve his strike by playing T20 leagues like the Big Bash League. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s second leading wicket-taker with 112 scalps, has also been excluded from the 17-member squad.
The balance of both squads
India’s 15-member squad selection was a mixture of youth and experience. The batting line-up, which includes the likes of Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Axar Patel, aims to blend aggressive strokeplay with stability in the middle order. The pace bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Hardik, and Dube.
The spin bowling attack is expected to be led by Varun Chakravarthy, who has been in impressive form ever since his return to international cricket last year, supported by Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. India have a balanced squad with youth and experience, giving them the flexibility of adapting to different match situations, whether it’s posting solid totals, chasing down formidable totals, or defending in the death overs.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have taken a bold call by leaving out Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, and backed young talents like Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Fakhar Zaman, aiming to inject aggression and fresh energy in their line-up. However, the middle-order remains a point of contention. Skipper Salman Ali Agha will be expected to anchor the middle order, but his experience of handling high-pressure situations is limited. The team also includes all-rounders like Khushdil Shah and Hussain Talat, who have the potential to contribute significantly.
Pakistan is likely to be reliant on its pace bowling attack, which includes Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali, as the spin bowling unit is relatively underpowered, with recognized spin options, Abrar Ahmad, Mohammad Nawaz, and Sufiyan Muqueem. The absence of experienced spinner Shadab Khan raised concerns about their spin depth for the crucial tournament.
What does it mean for the India vs Pakistan clash?
India and Pakistan will lock horns in their second match of the group stage on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium. The clash between two arch-rivals is often highly volatile due to political and historical tensions between the two countries. This time, the entire eyeballs will be on this match after the Pahalgam terror attack and successful Operation Sindoor.
The return of Shubman Gill bolstered their batting line-up, while Jasprit Bumrah’s availability provides a lethal edge in the pace bowling unit, especially in the death overs. The middle-order has Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh, who are hard hitters and likely to pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s bowling attack.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have taken a risk by excluding Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the squad and backed newcomers like Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, adding an element of unpredictability. However, their reliance on pace over spin will be tested in Dubai conditions, where the pitch is likely to assist spinners in the middle overs. Skipper Salman Ali Agha will need to guide his inexperienced line-up tactically to stay competitive against a well-rounded Indian side.
This high-stakes encounter will likely hinge on India’s ability to handle pressure, Pakistan’s capacity to execute their aggressive game plan, and key individual performances from stars like Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, and Suryakumar Yadav, and Shaheen Afridi.