Ajit Agarkar-headed men's selection committee of the BCCI put an end to weeks of rumors on Tuesday by recalling Shubman Gill in India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025.
Gill, who had missed India's previous three bilateral T20I series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England, pushed his way back into the team based on a historic run during the five-Test series in England, in which he accumulated 754 runs at an average of 75. The 25-year-old has also been appointed vice-captain, with Suryakumar Yadav as the captain.
Gill's last T20I was in July 2024 against Sri Lanka, where he was vice-captain too. He had previously captained India in Zimbabwe, but with his massive workload across formats, the selectors had kept him out of the T20Is until now. Agarkar emphasized during the press conference that Gill was always at the core of India's plans for a tournament as big as the Asia Cup.
What instigated the speculation over his comeback was the successful combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, who both scored scores of multiple centuries in Gill's absence and set themselves up as a forceful opening combination. In spite of their show, the selectors have decided to place their bet on Gill's class and consistency at the top position.
Gill's T20I tally is 578 runs off 21 matches at a strike rate of 139.27, with one century and three half-centuries. His IPL 2025 season further pushed his argument, with 650 runs off 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87. He is also one of the few Indian batsmen with centuries in all three formats of internationals.
The addition of Gill as an opener has brought Sanju Samson's position in question. Samson has performed well only at number one, and if relegated down the order, he might not be India's go-to wicketkeeper. That position might fall to Jitesh Sharma, who was a key as a finisher for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their victorious IPL 2025 season.
"Sanju Samson was playing as an opener because Gill and Jaiswal were not available, and Abhishek, the manner in which he played, it was difficult to look past him," Agarkar said, suggesting that Gill and Abhishek will be India's Asia Cup opening combination.
The selectors also kept Tilak Varma, who has been in great form, scoring consecutive centuries against South Africa and carrying his form to England. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised the depth in the team, adding, "We have lovely players around with amazing skills, which makes my job easier."
Specifically, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer were omitted from the central team despite impressive IPL performances, although Jaiswal is included in the standby list along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.
The pace attack will be led by Jasprit Bumrah, who ensured last week that he is available. He will be assisted by Arshdeep Singh, with Harshit Rana being also considered. The spin attack includes Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy, while all-rounders Axar Patel and Shivam Dube offer balance.
Main Squad: Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel.
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