Squad Announcement Expected on August 19 or 20
Selectors Face Big Calls on Leadership, Batting Line-Up
New Delhi, August 13:
India’s squad for Asia Cup 2025 is to be announced on August 19 or 20, with the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee awaiting the final medical reports from the Sports Science team at the Centre of Excellence’s HQ. Amongst the significant updates, Yashasvi Jaiswal is almost certain to miss out and Test captain Shubman Gill looks set for a leadership role in the T20I setup.
Shubman Gill in the running for Vice-Captaincy
Shubman Gill is a frontrunner for the vice-captaincy role of the T20I side, following his record-breaking 754-run Test series against England. He had been Suryakumar Yadav’s vice-captain on the Sri Lanka tour last year. The selection is likely to be a trade off between form and continuity, as Axar Patel was vice-captain in India’s previous home T20I series.
Suryakumar’s fitness will be important
India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav began a T20 batting stint this week at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, however, his selection will be contingent on fitness clearance. Considering Yadav’s strong batting unit which consists of Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya, selections are likely to consider retaining the core unit.
Jaiswal, Sudharsan, Pant Likely to Miss Out
The sheer number of first-class options means Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan will probably be excluded even if they perform exceptionally well. Rishabh Pant will also be ruled out, not to mention Sanju Samson will probably be the first-choice wicketkeeper. The back-up wicketkeeper will come down to either Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel, with Jitesh likely having an advantage based on his IPL finishers’ reputation.
All-Rounders and Bowlers
Our seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy is unfortunately still injured, which leaves Shivam Dube to back up Hardik Pandya.
For pacers, lead pacer will be Jasprit Bumrah and seam bowler will be Arshdeep Singh. The choice for the third pacer is likely to come down to either Prasidh Krishna or Harshit Rana, with the final call depending on the conditions in the UAE. In the spin department, the expected options are Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, along with either Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy.
Probable India Asia Cup 2025 squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna, Jitesh Sharma/Dhruv Jurel.
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