BCCI Names Shubman Gill Asia Cup Vice-Captain, Spring Other Surprises
CricDiary: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has named Shubman Gill as the vice-captain for Asia Cup 2025. The 15-member team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav. The announcement, made by chief selector Ajit Agarkar in Mumbai today, has generated both optimism and controversy because of some high-profile omissions.
Gill, who was away from India’s T20I squad since July 2024, returns on the back of a prolific run across formats. He was India’s standout performer during the recent five-Test series in England. He scored 754 runs and guided the team to a 2-2 draw in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Earlier this year, Gill played a key role in India’s Champions Trophy triumph, before piling up 650 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at a strike rate of 155. His elevation, according to Agarkar, was a natural progression. “We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. Gill exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” the chief selector said.
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Yadav welcomed Gill’s return to the T20 fold. “The last time he played T20 cricket for India, in Sri Lanka after the 2024 World Cup, he was already vice-captain. Since then, Test series and the Champions Trophy kept him busy. We are happy to have him back,” Yadav said.
The squad announcement, however, has raised eyebrows over the exclusion of two in-form batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. Jaiswal, despite his aggressive exploits at the top of the order, was relegated to the reserves. “It’s just unfortunate. With Abhishek Sharma offering both runs and the option of left-arm spin, one of them had to miss out. Yashasvi will have to wait for his chance,” Agarkar said. Iyer, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in the IPL and led Punjab Kings to the final, was also overlooked. “Who can he replace?” Agarkar asked. “It’s no fault of his. We can only pick 15.”
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India’s campaign in the Asia Cup will begin against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on 10 September. It’ll be followed by the high-octane clash against Pakistan on 14 September. India will play their last group game against Oman in Abu Dhabi on 19 September.
India’s squad for the Asia Cup
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal
