Asia Cup 2025: Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill Included As Harbhajan Singh Picks His India Squad
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh picked his squad for the upcoming Asia Cup that is set to be played next month.
- Harbhajan Singh named his India squad for the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE
- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Riyan Parag made it to Harbhajan’s squad
- Harbhajan backed Gill for the shortest format, saying he is "no less than anybody else"
Former international spinner Harbhajan Singh picked his India squad for the upcoming Asia Cup that is set to be played next month. The continental event will kick off on September 9 with the final set to be played on September 28. All the matches of the tournament will be taking place in the United Arab Emirates. When asked to name his squad, Harbhajan opined that the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer will make the cut. He also had a surprise pick in Riyan Parag.
"Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Hardik Pandya, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh. KL Rahul is a name that I didn't take. He can also be a very, very good option since I am not putting any other keeper. KL can be another option. One of him or Rishabh Pant should be there," Harbhajan told Times of India.
Gill would reportedly miss out on a place in the India squad for the Asia Cup. His strike rate in the shortest format often comes under the scanner. The current openers -- Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson -- of India's T20I team enjoy a superb strike rate. While Samson has a strike rate of over 150, that of Abhishek is close to 194.
Harbhajan, however, backed Gill for the shortest format, terming him "no less than anybody else".
"You need to understand that the T20 format is not just about hitting the ball, and if Shubman Gill decides to hit, he is no less than anybody else. The type of batter that he is, he has a solid game. He has strong basics and can score all around the ground, whatever the format is. If you look at the IPL, he has scored runs every season. He wears the Orange Cap on his head, and that doesn't come to you, just like that. It is not like he bats at a 120 strike rate; he bats at a strike rate of 160, 150 strike rate," the former India spinner said.
India Cricket Team