No place for Gill or Jaiswal: India's probable squad for Asia Cup 2025

India's T20I squad for the Asia Cup 2025 will likely be announced on August 19. The marquee eight-team tournament isn't too far away from kick-off, as it commences on September 10. With a little over three weeks to go, speculation has already begun mounting on who would make it to the squad and who won't. As an obvious speculation, Suryakumar Yadav is most certainly expected to be retained as a captain. But the vice-captaincy position may be up for grabs as reports suggest that Axar Patel could be in real danger of losing out on that role should Shubman Gill make it to the squad.

On the other hand, there seems to be no room for the all-format specialist opener Yashavi Jaiswal, who is coming off a dream tour from England. Despite his recent success in red-ball and white-ball cricket, Jaiswal may not make it as the management is more keen to press ahead with the opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Besides, in the pace department, a big question mark looms over Jasprit Bumrah's participation. The star pacer featured in only three out of the five Test matches in the Anderson-Teundulkar Trophy series, citing workload management.

With a plethora of selection headaches to combat, how will India's Asia Cup squad shape up? Read on as we attempt to answer this burning question.  

See also: Shocking selection surprise! Jaiswal likely to be left out of Asia Cup 2025

Batting department (Top order)

Abhishek Sharma is among the most obvious picks at the top of the order. As the top-ranked T20I batsman globally, Abhishek's ascent has been remarkable. In this year alone, he boasts an average of 56 in T20Is with a strike rate of 220. His likely partner is wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who has been relatively quiet since achieving three T20I centuries last year. In the series against England, he accumulated only 51 runs over five innings at a strike rate of 119, although he improved to a strike rate of 140 during the IPL.

Reports indicate that Shubman Gill, the new and currently in-form Test captain of India, may be considered for the Asia Cup, with a possibility of being appointed as vice-captain. His strong performance in IPL 2025 certainly makes him a top contender, as he accumulated 650 runs at an average of 50 with a strike rate of 156. It remains to be seen how he will manage to break into the current opening pair. Sai Sudharsan, who won the Orange Cap this year, may feel somewhat overlooked. Tilak Varma, who has recently completed a stint in the One-Day Cup, is another player assured of selection. He was the second-highest run-scorer for India during the series against England and also had a commendable IPL season, with a strike rate of 138. A fit-again SKY is expected to captain the team.

All-rounders (Middle order)

Among the all-rounders, Hardik Pandya stands out as a clear choice, while Axar Patel, regardless of whether he maintains the vice-captaincy, is expected to be included as another option. In terms of strike rate, this IPL season marked his best performance to date (157), as he batted in positions four to six for the Delhi Capitals. Although his bowling performance was not as noteworthy, he maintains an average of 27 in the UAE, with an economy rate of less than six-and-a-half.

Washington Sundar may serve as another spin all-rounder. His T20I career has experienced significant fluctuations, lacking a consistent opportunity to showcase his skills; however, under Gautam Gambhir's guidance, this could potentially change. While it may be perceived as a touch of recency bias, his impressive Test series – albeit in a distinctly different role – should also marginally enhance his candidacy.

For the role of a backup seam-bowling all-rounder, Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy appear to be in direct competition. A concern for Nitish is his recent knee injury, as his latest social media updates indicate he is still undergoing rehabilitation. Dube has long been recognized as a viable option for spin-hitting, although his bowling performance has diminished in recent times. He had previously stepped in for Nitish during the England T20Is as an injury replacement.

Bowlers (Lower order)

Among spinners, Varun Chakravarthy stands out as a clear choice. Benefiting from a resurgence under Gambhir, he secured 14 wickets at an impressive average of 9.85 during the England series and maintained his form throughout the IPL. Kuldeep Yadav, who was sidelined for the entirety of the Test tour, may find himself waiting for his opportunities once more.

If Jasprit Bumrah is healthy (and there has been considerable uncertainty regarding his fitness recently), he will undoubtedly secure one position, leaving the remaining two positions to be occupied by Arshdeep Singh, a regular in T20I matches, and possibly Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj has not participated in T20Is since July of the previous year and was also absent during India’s Champions Trophy victory. However, there may be a strong inclination to reinstate him following an impressive series against England, despite the potential for significant competition from Prasidh Krishna, the winner of this season’s IPL Purple Cap. Additionally, Harshit Rana might also be aiming to secure a spot should Bumrah be unable to participate.

India's predicted squad for Asia Cup 2025 (As per Wisden)

Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Sanja Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube/Nitish Reddy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd Siraj/Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy