India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming Men’s Asia Cup 2025 was unveiled on Tuesday by chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav.
The announcement, delayed due to weather disruptions in Mumbai, sparked plenty of chatter as it threw up a few surprises. Shubman Gill returned to the T20I fold as vice-captain, while notable names such as Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were left out of the main squad. Jasprit Bumrah confirmed his availability to lead the pace attack.
Here are the three biggest surprises from the squad announcement and the selectors’ explanations behind them:
1. Shubman Gill Returns As Vice-captain
Shubman Gill, India’s Test captain, has been reinstated as the T20I vice-captain, replacing Axar Patel who filled in for the England series. His comeback marks a continuation of the leadership role he had before a break from the format.
Suryakumar Yadav explained the rationale, recalling Gill’s last T20I outing in July 2024 against Sri Lanka: “The last time Shubman Gill played a T20I for India was when we went to Sri Lanka. When I was leading, he was the vice-captain. That’s where we started the new cycle for the T20 World Cup. After that, he got busy with all the Test series. He is in the squad and we are happy to have him,” Surya told reporters.
The move also fueled speculation about Gill’s long-term leadership prospects across all three formats, though Agarkar avoided a direct answer:
“I can discuss with you right now, T20 cricket and Test cricket, he is already leading. And like Surya mentioned, he was the vice-captain the last time he played T20 cricket for India. So, we obviously see some leadership qualities in him. And behind his form in England was what we were hoping for. He obviously exceeded all our expectations with the kind of form that he showed with his bat. Which is a great sign when there is so much pressure on you as a captain. So, like I said, I can only talk about T20 cricket right now and Test cricket,” said Agarkar.
2. No Place For Shreyas Iyer
One of the biggest shocks was the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer, who was among the standout performers in IPL 2025, scoring 604 runs at a blistering strike rate. Despite his form, he could not find a spot in the 15.
Agarkar defended the call, stressing that the competition for batting slots is fierce: “With regards to Shreyas, I mean, you need to tell him who he can replace. No fault of his, nor is it ours. It’s just that we have to pick 15 at the moment, he’ll have to wait for his chance,” said Agarkar.
3. Yashasvi Jaiswal Only Among Reserves
Equally surprising was the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who piled up 559 runs in IPL 2025. He finds himself only in the standby list, as the selectors opted to reward Abhishek Sharma’s all-round impact.
Agarkar admitted the decision was a tough one, calling it unfortunate for Jaiswal: “With regards to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again. There’s Abhishek Sharma, what he’s done over the last few months or a year or so that he’s been with the team. Plus, that he can bowl a little bit, gives us an option if required by the captain. One of these guys is always going to miss out. It’s just unfortunate that Yashasvi might have to wait for his chance,” Agarkar explained.
Looking Ahead
The Asia Cup squad announcement lasted around 20 minutes but set the tone for India’s preparation towards the 2026 T20 World Cup. As Suryakumar Yadav put it, the tournament offers the perfect testing ground:
“This is the first big tournament we are playing after the T20 World Cup. We played a few bilaterals, but this is a good tournament to test ourselves. There are a lot of T20s before we play the first game of the T20 World Cup. This is where the journey starts for the tournament,” he said.
