Following the announcement of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025, a key talking point has been the appointment of Shubman Gill as the vice-captain under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. This decision has naturally raised questions, particularly regarding Gill's place in the T20I setup. Addressing these queries, Suryakumar Yadav provided clarity on the rationale behind Gill's inclusion and his role as the team's deputy.
Speaking at the press conference following the squad announcement, Suryakumar Yadav addressed the "burning question" surrounding Gill's selection. He pointed out that Gill had previously served as vice-captain during India's T20I series in Sri Lanka. "In my opinion, the last time Shubman Gill played a T20I for India was when we went to Sri Lanka. When I was leading, he was the vice-captain," Suryakumar stated. He emphasized that this tour marked the beginning of a new cycle, with an eye on the T20 World Cup.
Suryakumar explained that Gill's subsequent absence from T20Is was primarily due to his commitments to Test cricket and the Champions Trophy. "After that, he got busy with all the Test series. He didn't get an opportunity to play T20Is because he was busy with Test cricket and the Champions Trophy," he clarified. This explanation addresses the apparent inconsistency of selecting a player who hasn't been a regular feature in the T20I side.
Suryakumar expressed his satisfaction with Gill's return to the squad. "He is in the squad and we are happy to have him," he said. He further highlighted the importance of the Asia Cup as a platform to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup. "This is the first big tournament we are playing after the T20 World Cup. We played a few bilaterals, but this is a good tournament to test ourselves. There are a lot of T20S before we play the first game of the T20 World Cup. This is where the journey starts for the tournament," Suryakumar added.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar also spoke about Gill's elevation to vice-captain, stating, "He has exceeded all our expectations". Agarkar also addressed the exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, attributing it to Abhishek Sharma's all-round ability. He noted that the decision to leave out Shreyas Iyer was also unfortunate.
The Asia Cup 2025, scheduled to be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from September 9 to 28, will be a crucial event for the Indian team. It provides an opportunity to fine-tune their strategies and team composition in preparation for the T20 World Cup. India is placed in Group A along with Oman, Pakistan, and the UAE. The squad announcement has generated considerable buzz, especially concerning the potential for India to face Pakistan multiple times in the tournament.
The selected squad reflects a blend of experienced players and promising youngsters. Alongside Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain, the team includes Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. Five players have been named as standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
