Asia Cup 2025: Why Shubman Gill should be selected in the squad?

For the last few reports, different discussions and speculations have been made on Shubman Gill’s selection in the Indian team for the upcoming 2025 season of the Asia Cup. He recently had a successful five-match Test series in England, where under his leadership, the Blue Brigade drew the series 2-2.

Shubman Gill finished as the leading run-getter of the seven-week campaign. The right-handed batter smashed 754 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.40 and a strike rate of over 65, scoring four centuries. It was an excellent series. Now, the question has been raised whether he should get a chance to feature in India’s T20 Asia Cup squad.

Shubman Gill’s successful three successive IPL seasons since 2023

Gill has overall smashed 3866 runs in 115 innings of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at an average of around 40 and a strike rate of around 139, thanks to four centuries and 26 half-centuries at the best score of 129 runs. The biggest change in his batting has come in the last three successive IPL seasons.

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In 2022, once the 25-year-old earned his spot in the Gujarat Titans’ squad, his batting took a new route. He ended up with 483 runs in 16 innings at an average of 34.50 and a strike rate of 132.32 with four half-centuries.

When the Titans ended as the champions during the 2023 edition of the tournament, Gill ended as the leading run-getter with 890 runs in 17 innings at an average of nearly 60 and a strike rate of 157.80, scoring four half-centuries and three centuries at the best score of 129 runs.

With Hardik Pandya leaving the franchise in 2024, Gill got an added responsibility of leading the side. In the very first year of it, the Punjab-born clubbed 426 runs in 12 innings at an average of 38.72 and a strike rate of nearly 150 with two fifties and one century.

He continued the same form even in the recently concluded IPL to smack 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87, thanks to six half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 93 runs.

Shubman Gill’s excellent T20I record

When India went to Sri Lanka last year during the first coaching tenure of Gautam Gambhir, Gill became the vice-captain of the national side. Overall, the veteran has scored 578 T20I runs in 21 innings at an average of more than 30 and a strike rate of 139.28, with the help of three half-centuries and one century.

The selection of the Asia Cup 2025 will depend on a lot of aspects. Most of the selected players will be confirmed to get their noses ahead for the selection of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

In 2023, Gill scored 312 runs in 13 innings of the T20Is at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 145.12 with one fifty and one century at the best score of unbeaten 126 runs. Last year, he featured in eight T20I innings to get 266 runs at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 133 with two fifties.

If Gill comes into the T20I side for the Asia Cup 2025, then he will have to bat at the opening position or number three. In that case, the management will have to leave out Tilak Verma. But also, looking at the future of the national side and the age of Gill, it could prove to be a smart decision to get the batter into the squad.