India announced its 15-member T20 squad for Asia Cup 2025 with Shubman Gill as vice-captain and Jasprit Bumrah returning. Standout players Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer missed out due to tough selection choices, says Ajit Agarkar.
India’s Test skipper Shubman Gill was on Tuesday named vice-captain of the 15-member T20 squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, set to begin on September 9 in the UAE. The squad also features pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who will play his first T20 tournament since last year’s World Cup.
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Gill, who last played a T20 match against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2024, replaces Axar Patel as the deputy to skipper Suryakumar Yadav. “Gill’s form in England was something we expected but he exceeded it all,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference.
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Bumrah’s selection had been uncertain due to the tournament’s proximity to India’s home Test series against the West Indies in October, but the selectors chose to include him nonetheless.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav was also drafted in, while Jitesh Sharma will serve as the back-up wicketkeeper batter.
Why Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer Missed Out
Yashasvi Jaiswal was named among the five standby players, but he missed out on the main squad.
Agarkar explained the reasoning: “It’s unfortunate Jaiswal has had to miss out but he will have to wait. One of these guys was always going to miss out. It’s just unfortunate that Yashasvi might have to wait for his chance.”
Shreyas Iyer, who had a stellar IPL season guiding Punjab Kings to the final, was another high-profile omission. Agarkar clarified that the decision was influenced by India’s abundance of T20 talent, making it difficult to accommodate all deserving players.
“With regards to Shreyas, I mean, we can replace that. Again, no fault of his. Nor is it ours. It’s just that he can pick 15 and, at the moment, he might have to wait for his chance,” Agarkar remarked.
“Abhishek Sharma, what he’s done over the last few months or a year or so that he’s been with the team. Plus, that he can bowl a little bit gives us an option, if required, by the captain,” Agarkar added. “We have got some serious options in T20 squad…sometimes not the easiest squad to pick but good headache to have.”
India has been placed in Group A of the Asia Cup alongside Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE.
India squad for Asia Cup 2025:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
Stand-By Players:
Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel & Yashasvi Jaiswal.