Shubman Gill Returns as India’s T20I Vice-Captain for Asia Cup 2025
Mumbai, August 19, 2025
Shubman Gill has been recalled to India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup 2025, taking over as vice-captain from Axar Patel. The 15-member squad was announced on Tuesday by the national selection committee, with Suryakumar Yadav set to lead the side.
Leadership Role for Gill
Gill’s return marks a significant change, as he last featured in T20Is in July 2024 against Sri Lanka, also as vice-captain. Since then, he had been rested from T20 assignments due to his workload in Tests and ODIs, as well as India’s successful Champions Trophy campaign in 2025.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar praised Gill’s recent performances in England, where he captained India to a drawn Test series in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and scored heavily.
We see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. He exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” Agarkar said.
Batting Combination and Top Order
Gill is expected to open the innings, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as alternative opening choices. However, with the vice-captaincy role, Gill remains the frontrunner to partner at the top.
The middle-order options include Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma, who is likely to be the first-choice wicketkeeper if Samson is not included in the playing XI.
Allrounders and Bowling Options
India has opted for three all-rounders—Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube—adding depth to both batting and bowling.
The specialist bowling attack features:
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Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh (pace)
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Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy (spin)
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Harshit Rana provides both pace and lower-order hitting ability.
Notable Omissions
Two big names missed out on the 15-member squad:
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Yashasvi Jaiswal – placed in the reserves despite strong domestic and international performances.
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Shreyas Iyer – fresh from a stellar IPL 2025 season with 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and leading Punjab Kings to the final, but overlooked due to a lack of available slots.
Agarkar explained:
“With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate. Abhishek Sharma has done exceptionally well and also offers some bowling. One of them had to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”
“With Shreyas, who can he replace? It’s no fault of his. At the moment, we can only pick 15.”
Tournament Context
The Asia Cup 2025 marks India’s first T20I assignment since their home series against England in January. India is placed in Group A, alongside Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE.
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September 10 – vs UAE, Dubai
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September 14 – vs Pakistan, Dubai
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September 19 – vs Oman, Abu Dhabi
Captain Suryakumar Yadav emphasized the importance of the tournament:
“This is the first big tournament we are playing since the 2024 T20 World Cup. It’s a good tournament to test ourselves. After this, we have close to 20–22 T20Is before the 2026 World Cup, so the journey starts from the Asia Cup 2025.”
India’s Squad for Asia Cup 2025
Main Squad:
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Suryakumar Yadav (capt)
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Shubman Gill (vc)
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Hardik Pandya
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Arshdeep Singh
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Abhishek Sharma
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Tilak Varma
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Shivam Dube
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Axar Patel
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Jitesh Sharma (wk)
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Jasprit Bumrah
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Varun Chakravarthy
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Kuldeep Yadav
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Harshit Rana
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Rinku Singh
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Sanju Samson
Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal
