India's Asia Cup Squad: 5 Big Takeaways From Ajit Agarkar, Suryakumar Yadav Press Conference

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sprung a few surprises as it named the India squad for the Asia Cup in the UAE next month. While Suryakumar Yadav was named the captain of the side, he found a new deputy in the form of Shubman Gill, who is being seen as an all-format skipper in the near future. Axar Patel, without a fault of his own, had to relinquish the vice-captaincy in the shortest format. Mohammed Siraj, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were arguably the biggest names to miss out on a spot in the Asia Cup.

India's Asia Cup 2025 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Suryakumar Yadav and Ajit Agarkar Asia Cup Squad Selection Press Conference: 5 Top Takeaways

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal Competed With Abhishek Sharma, Not Shubman Gill: As per the comments made by the BCCI selection committee chief, Ajit Agarkar, it was Abhishek Sharma who faced competition with Yashasvi Jaiswal for a spot among openers. For the selectors, Gill was a certain pick in the team, and only one between Abhishek and Jaiswal could be selected. Being the No. 1 T20I batter in the game at present, there was simply no way the BCCI could've snubbed him. Jaiswal, however, is part of the reserve list.

2. Sanju Samson To Be Demoted: With Gill being named the T20I vice-captain, he becomes a certain pick in India's playing XI. The situation, hence, means India's primary opening pair at the Asia Cup will be Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, while Sanju would need to bat in the middle-order. The team management could decide to shift Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav a step lower in the batting unit and give Samson the No. 3 role. 

3. Shreyas Iyer Not Even A Reserve Player: Despite scoring 604 runs for the Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign, Shreyas Iyer doesn't even feature in the top 20 players the BCCI selected for the Asia Cup. The batter neither managed to bag a spot in the primary 15 for the continental event, nor in the 5-member reserve list. The selectors' decision to snub him to such an extent was truly surprising.

4. Mohammed Siraj Not In T20I Scheme: Despite being a prolific pacer for India in the recently-concluded Test series against England, Siraj wasn't even in the race to be picked for the Asia Cup. While Harshit Rana made the cut in the 15-member team, Prasidh Krishna was named among the reserves. Siraj was nowhere to be seen.

5. Rinku Singh Cements Finishers' Role: Despite the chatter around his possible exclusion from the team, Rinku Singh proved why he is the designated 'finisher' in the Indian team for the shortest format. Rinku managed to fend off competition from Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar -- two all-rounders who can also play as finishers -- to seal a spot in the 15-member squad. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Shubman Gill Suryakumar Yadav Cricket