India's Asia Cup squad was named on Tuesday (August 19). Here are the major takeaways from the squad announcement.
India betting on Gill’s all-format value
After more than two weeks of reports going back-and-forth, Gill's return to the T20I side as vice-captain was confirmed by India men's chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Gill last played a T20I in July 2024, after which Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson established themselves as an explosive opening pair for India in the format. But following Gill's ascension to the Test captaincy throne, and an England series that in Agarkar's words, "exceeded expectations", he has forced his way back to the T20I setup.
Also read: India Asia Cup T20I squad: Shubman Gill named vice-captain, no room for Yashasvi Jaiswal
Gill has improved significantly over the last few seasons as a T20 batter, but the all-out attacking approach that has seen India put up mammoth totals in the last one year is still something that doesn't come naturally to him. Clearly then, BCCI see value in him as the next face of Indian cricket across formats after the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. So much so that they are willing to shake up a settled and successful T20I top-order setup to phase him into a leadership role. Whether the disruption leads to India's downfall or whether Gill seamlessly blends into the system remains to be seen.
Also read: Shubman Gill is a generational talent, but India shouldn't force fit him in the T20I XI
Will Kuldeep Yadav get a game?
Kuldeep Yadav was India's frontline spinner during their 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Then Varun Chakravarthy returned to the national side and took that spot from him. Kuldeep's last T20I remains the final against South Africa. The wrist-spinner was most recently part of India's squad for the England Test tour, but couldn't find a place in the XI despite calls from pundits and public alike. Now, the same story looks set to repeat for him at the Asia Cup.
Assuming Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh start as the two seamers, that would, in all probability, leave room for only one of Varun and Kuldeep, with Axar Patel slotting in at No.8. Playing both Kuldeep and Varun would mean sacrificing on batting depth, something this management is averse to even in Test cricket, let alone shorter formats. With Varun being the incumbent, he is expected to edge over Kuldeep, meaning the latter would continue to miss out on game time for very little fault of his.
Golden opportunity for Jitesh Sharma
Gill's appointment as vice-captain means he is all but set to replace Sanju Samson as the opener. While Samson has shown how high his ceiling can be with multiple T20I hundreds, Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma have been more consistent with equally if not more impactful performances.
Samson's omission from the XI would then force India to play Jitesh Sharma, the only other wicketkeeper in the squad. Jitesh, who last played a T20I in January 2024, made 261 runs at a strike rate of 176 in RCB's victorious IPL campaign this year, excelling in a middle-order basher role.
If Gill performs at the top, that would set him up nicely for a long run in the side in a leadership position, which could, in turn, push Samson behind. Even if that's not the case, India also have Yashasvi Jaiswal waiting in the wings for a shot at T20I opening. Amidst this evolving situation at the top of the order, if Jitesh is able to replicate his RCB success with India in the middle order, it could well make him India's first-choice wicketkeeper heading into next year's T20 World Cup.
Shreyas Iyer not yet near T20I setup
Shreyas Iyer had a phenomenal IPL season, leading Punjab Kings to the final and scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of 175. But that has not been enough for him to find a place in the Asia Cup squad. When asked, Agarkar cited the lack of any relevant vacancy in the batting order: “You’ll have to tell me who he can replace. It’s no fault of his, nor is it ours. It’s just that you can pick 15, and he’ll have to wait for his chance."
Also read: How Shreyas Iyer redesigned his technique for the short ball – and how quicks can challenge him
While that's true - Iyer is primarily a No.3 or a No.4 batter, positions which are firmly occupied by Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav - the India batter has not even been named in the standbys. That group of five includes Dhruv Jurel, a third wicketkeeper, and Jaiswal, a fourth opening option, but no Iyer. Both Agarkar and Yadav maintained that the Asia Cup is just the beginning of the journey towards the World Cup and that this isn't necessarily the final squad for the mega event. But Iyer not being in the top 20 names despite having an all-timer IPL season indicates he might not be in the scheme of things at all.
Also read: Explained: Why India have left out Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer from the Asia Cup squad
Who are India's T20I quicks?
Harshit Rana made his T20I debut against England earlier this year. That followed a fast-track to the ODI side, which saw him feature in a successful Champions Trophy campaign. Now, he's made the Asia Cup squad as the third seamer behind Bumrah and Arshdeep with just two Tests, five ODIs, and one T20I to his name.
Mohammed Siraj played that role at the T20 World Cup last year. But he has not played in the format since July 2024 and seems to be out of favour in white-ball cricket. Prasidh Krishna, who was the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2025, has been named in the standbys and has played only five T20Is, the last of which came in 2023.
Beyond Arshdeep and Bumrah - who himself hasn't played T20I cricket since the World Cup - India's fast bowling stocks in the shortest format look thin. As long as those two are fit and available, with Hardik Pandya for company, India might not feel the need to play another quick. At least two out of the three, however, are injury-prone, which means they would do well to develop backups and give them game time heading into the World Cup.
Rana’s batting ability is a bonus rarely seen among Indian quicks, and perhaps part of the reason India have taken a punt on him as the third seamer. If and when his chance comes, it’ll be up to him to justify that faith and ease India’s concerns over their fast-bowling depth.
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