Thank you for joining us today as we previewed the Asia Cup squad announcement. Tomorrow (August 19) is the big day! India will announce their squad at 1:30 PM IST. Do tune in to NDTV Sports once again, as we bring you all the live updates from the press conference. 

The backup wicket-keeper for India is reportedly going to be Jitesh Sharma, after he shone as a finisher for RCB during IPL 2025. Rishabh Pant has been out of the T20I setup post the T20 World Cup 2024, while KL Rahul hasn't been involved for even longer. Jitesh's good IPL may give him the edge over Jurel.

Shubman Gill or Yashasvi Jaiswal? Shreyas Iyer or Tilak Varma? Kuldeep Yadav or Ravi Bishnoi? Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna? All these questions will be answered tomorrow, when India announce their squad for the Asia Cup 2025.

Big news! The press conference to announce India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025 will be held at 1:30 PM IST on Tuesday, August 19. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is expected to be present. The India squad for the Women's World Cup 2025 will also be announced thereafter.

As per a TOI journalist, not only will there be a press conference for the announcement of India's Asia Cup squad tomorrow, but it could be followed up by the announcement of India's Women's World Cup 2025 squad! A big day coming up, if this is the case.

Shreyas Iyer may or may not make it into the final 15, but does he deserve a spot? Shreyas has captained two separate IPL franchises in the past two seasons, taking both to the final, and winning the title in 2024.

In 2025, Shreyas was arguably the best Indian batter, slamming 604 runs at a strike-rate of 175. He was also India's highest run-scorer in the Champions Trophy 2025. His incredible form with the bat has forced him to be considered by the selectors.

There seem to be doubts among several former cricketers on Sanju Samson. As per reports, Samson is set to be the first-choice wicket-keeper for the Asia Cup, having slammed three T20I centuries in 2024.
However, former India opener and chief selector K Srikkanth wants Samson to be left out of the team.

Not only has Harbhajan picked Shubman Gill in his 15, he has also made some bold calls, leaving out Sanju Samson, Varun Chakravarthy and Tilak Varma. On the other hand, he picked Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer in his squad.

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh wants Shubman Gill to be selected in the final 15-man squad for the Asia Cup. Calling Gill and 'all-format player', Harbhajan has stated that he should not be underestimated.

"In my opinion, Gill can play T20s and even dominate the format. We as fans are used to seeing fours and sixes every ball, but you also need batters who can play long innings and rescue the team when required," Harbhajan told TOI.

Former India opener and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has called for the inclusion of Vaibhav Suryavanshi in India's squad for the Asia Cup. Srikkanth has urged the BCCI to take the bold step, applauding the maturity of the 14-year-old.

"You have to play boldly. Don't make him wait. Don't say things like 'let him mature'. He is already playing with remarkable maturity. His shot-making has been on another level. If I were chairman, I would have him in the 15," Srikkanth said on YouTube, speaking on Suryavanshi.

Shubman Gill will not make the final Asia Cup squad despite both chief selector Ajit Agarkar and head coach Gautam Gambhir being 'big fans' of his game.
"Gill is rated almost as highly as Virat Kohli in India's cricket circles in terms of potential. However, he doesn't fit into the T20 scheme of things right now. If you see, Abhishek and Tilak are rated as the No. 1 and No. 2 batters in T20Is in the ICC rankings currently. How can you drop them?" a BCCI source said, as per a TOI report.

Jasprit Bumrah's fitness concerns are now a well-known issue, and could lead to him missing out on the Asia Cup squad. On this topic, former BCCI chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma has made a big remark:

"If our physios is telling a player to manage workload, I think we should listen to them because they are the better judges," Sharma said on Bumrah.

Sanju Samson has had a topsy-turvy international career that saw him go in and out of the India squad in white-ball cricket. After Rohit Sharma's retirement from the format, the wicket-keeper batter seemed to have sealed the opening spot in the team, alongside Abhishek Sharma. Yet, there are some who feel he could be dropped to make space for Shubman Gill. Could that be the case?

According to a report in the Indian Express, the Indian team was offered the chance to pick Shubman Gill by dropping Tilak Varma from the squad. But, the team management reportedly said no to the offer.

A true pillar for the Indian team in the ICC Champions Trophy as a middle-order batter, Shreyas Iyer was a game-changer for India in the event. Even in the IPL 2025 season for the Punjab Kings, Iyer got his bat to do the talking as the franchise reached the playoffs. Yet, the selectors don't seem to be keen on naming him in the squad. 

Despite being India's top wicket-taker on the tour of England, Mohammed Siraj doesn't seem to be a sure-shot selection in the team for the Asia Cup 2025. His T20 form hasn't been the best, especially looking at IPL 2025 season for the Gujarat Titans, where he picked 16 wickets in 15 matches. The likes of Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana and Jasprit Bumrah are reportedy ahead of him in the pecking order. 

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of India's Asia Cup 2025 squad announcement. Ahead of the official selection meeting, some big updates have come from the chatter over India's potential roster. The biggest dilemma is arguably over the selection of India's Test skipper Shubman Gill who is backed by some members of the team management while others oppose it.