Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee likely to announce India's Asia Cup squad on August 19 or 20
Hardik Pandya remains preferred pace all-rounder
Too many proven performers in top-order could make selection tricky
Shubman Gill has emerged as the talk of the town following his exceptional performance in the recent Test series against England. However, he is expected to face strong competition from Axar Patel for the vice-captaincy role in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup T20 tournament, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, India's pace spearhead, will reportedly play in the tournament though he might be rested for the opening Test against the West Indies in early October 2025. According to a PTI report, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will announce the squad for the Asia Cup on August 19 or 20, once the Centre of Excellence's sports science team sends the medical bulletin for all players. This update includes captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has resumed net practice in Bengaluru.
Selection Dilemmas: Top Order, Wicket-keeper Choices
The Indian selectors face several challenging decisions while maintaining continuity that has driven success since Suryakumar Yadav became T20 skipper. During India’s last home series against England, Axar was the designated vice-captain, while Gill served as deputy when Suryakumar was first appointed full-time T20 skipper in Sri Lanka last year.
The report adds that the selection committee is unlikely to alter a solid top five comprising Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya. "Abhishek Sharma is world's No. 1 T20 batter in last ICC rankings. Sanju Samson has been fantastic last season with both bat and gloves. So it will certainly be a tough call but Shubman in current form (although in Tests) can't be ignored. He had a good IPL also," a BCCI source was quoted as saying in the report.
"Problem for selectors is, there are too many performers at the top of the order," the source added. With a wealth of top-order talent, finding slots for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan will be difficult. KL Rahul, now India’s first-choice ODI keeper, is unlikely to be considered as he does not bat in the middle order. Balancing experienced stars with emerging talent thus remains a key challenge for the selectors.
All-Rounders And Seam Attack: Injury Updates, Final Spots
Samson is almost certain to be picked as the first-choice wicket-keeper for the Asia Cup T20 squad. The second wicket-keeper slot will be contested between Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel. While Jurel featured in the last T20 series, Jitesh shone during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL-winning campaign and has excelled in the finisher role.
Pandya remains India’s premier white-ball seam-bowling all-rounder. Nitish Kumar Reddy, who sustained an injury during the England series, is unlikely to recover in time for the tournament, while Shivam Dube, after a successful comeback against England, is poised to retain his spot. Additionally, Axar and Washington Sundar are set to contribute as spin-bowling all-rounders.
The main debate centres on the third seamer position. Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh have seemingly locked their slots, leaving a contest between Prasidh Krishna — who claimed 25 wickets in the last IPL — and Harshit Rana.
According to the report, the likely squad contenders are: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Verma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna, Hardik Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel.
Injuries and performance trends will shape the final composition of India’s Asia Cup T20 squad.
(With PTI inputs)
