Shubman Gill has earned a strong foothold in India’s T20I setup for the Asia Cup, taking charge as vice-captain in place of Axar Patel.
The 15-member team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, was selected with a focus on form, versatility, and long-term planning, as India gears up for their first major T20I tournament since the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Gill’s comeback follows a stellar run across formats. He led India to a 2-2 draw in the five-Test Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series in England and played a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy victory earlier this year. His form in the IPL 2025 was equally impressive, amassing 650 runs for Gujarat Titans at a strike rate of 155.87.
“We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. [He] exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” said chief selector Ajit Agarkar in Mumbai.
Gill, who last played T20Is in Sri Lanka in July 2024, is now a frontrunner to open the batting. He will compete with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson for the top-order spots, though his leadership role gives him a clear edge.
In the middle order, India has stacked the lineup with Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Jitesh Sharma — the latter also a strong contender for the wicketkeeping role if Gill and Abhishek open. Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dube provide all-round options, offering balance and depth to both batting and bowling.
The bowling unit features pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, supported by Arshdeep Singh and newcomer Harshit Rana, who adds lower-order batting strength. Spin duties will be handled by Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, along with part-time options in the squad.
Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out on the main squad and finds himself among the reserves along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, despite a stellar IPL season where he scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and led Punjab Kings to the final, was also excluded.
“With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” Agarkar explained. “There’s Abhishek Sharma: what he’s done over the last year or so – plus he can bowl a little bit – he gives us that option if required. One of these guys was going to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.”
Commenting on Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion, Agarkar added, “With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance.”
India begin their Asia Cup campaign against UAE on September 10 in Dubai, followed by a marquee clash against Pakistan on September 14 and their final group stage game against Oman in Abu Dhabi on September 19.
“This is the first big tournament we are playing since the [2024] T20 World Cup,” Suryakumar said. “It’s a good tournament to test ourselves… I think the journey starts from the Asia Cup.”
With close to 22 T20Is scheduled before the 2026 T20 World Cup, the Asia Cup will serve as a crucial stepping stone for India’s revamped squad.
