Shubman Gill has made a comeback to India’s T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain. The 15-member squad, announced by the selection committee on Tuesday, will be led by Suryakumar Yadav.
Gill is the frontrunner to open the batting alongside either Abhishek Sharma or Sanju Samson, the other opening options. His recent form across formats and leadership qualities were key factors in his return. “We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England exceeded all our expectations,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai.
The squad includes a mix of batting depth and all-round options. Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and Jitesh Sharma strengthen the middle and lower order, while allrounders Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube add balance. Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana make up the specialist bowling unit.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was a surprise omission, placed instead among the five reserves along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, who had an outstanding IPL season with 604 runs at a strike rate of 175, also missed out. “At the moment, you can only pick 15,” Agarkar explained. “Unfortunately, one of them had to miss out, and Yashasvi has to wait for his chance.”
Gill’s return to the T20I side comes after a break in the format, during which he focused on Tests and ODIs. He was part of India’s Champions Trophy-winning side earlier this year and starred in the five-Test series in England, where he led India to a 2-2 draw. He also scored 650 runs in IPL 2025 for Gujarat Titans at a strike rate of 155.87.
The Asia Cup will be India’s first T20I series since facing England at home in January. India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman and UAE. They begin their campaign against UAE in Dubai on September 10, followed by the high-voltage clash with Pakistan on September 14 and their final group game against Oman on September 19.
India’s Squad for the Asia Cup 2025
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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
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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