The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially unveiled India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 on Tuesday in Mumbai, with Suryakumar Yadav leading the side and Shubman Gill appointed as vice-captain. The announcement was made at a press conference attended by skipper Suryakumar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, following an intense selection meeting also involving BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia.
Gill’s elevation to the role of deputy is one of the most significant talking points. The young opener, who captained India’s T20I side during the Zimbabwe tour post the T20 World Cup 2024, impressed selectors with his calm leadership in a side largely comprising fresh faces. His appointment as vice-captain now marks his return to T20Is after more than a year, having last played the format in July 2024.
Statistically, Gill has shown promise in the shortest format. In 21 T20Is, he has scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 139.27, including a superb unbeaten 126. His IPL 2025 campaign further strengthened his case, where he amassed 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50.00 and a strike rate of 155.87, finishing as the fourth-highest run-getter of the season.
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Chief selector Ajit Agarkar highlighted Gill’s consistency and leadership potential, stating: “We obviously see leadership qualities in him. His batting form in England exceeded all expectations, which is a great sign, especially when the responsibility of captaincy is on his shoulders.”
Suryakumar Yadav echoed these sentiments, recalling Gill’s role as vice-captain during last year’s Sri Lanka series before his shift to the longer formats.
“He missed out on T20s because of Test commitments and the Champions Trophy, but now he’s back and we are happy to have him,” SKY noted.
Gill’s red-ball credentials also boosted his leadership case. On India’s five-Test tour of England earlier this year, he led a new-look team without stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin, steering them to a 2-2 series draw. He personally contributed 754 runs with four centuries, including a career-best 269.
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However, Gill’s rise has come at the expense of Axar Patel, who was vice-captain during the Sri Lanka white-ball tour but has now been relieved of leadership duties. India’s Asia Cup squad, spearheaded by SKY and Gill, reflects a bold generational shift while balancing experience and form ahead of the continental championship.
India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
