The 2025 Asia Cup is the Indian men's team's next big assignment: who’ll be picked and who’ll miss out – here’s a predicted squad for Suryakumar Yadav and team.
India’s squad is expected to be out on August 19: naturally, there’s been considerable debate and conjecture over who would make it to the touring party. There’s still the hangover of the England Test series, but a completely different assignment awaits in the UAE.
India's Asia Cup squad: All the live updates
For reference, this was India's squad for the five-match T20I series against England at home:
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Rinku Singh (replaced by Ramandeep Singh), Washington Sundar, Axar Patel (vc), Nitish Kumar Reddy (replaced by Shivam Dube), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy
Here’s what India’s 15-member squad could potentially look like:
Predicted: India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup
Batters
Abhishek Sharma is one of the first names on the sheet. The No.1 ranked T20I batter in the world, Abhishek’s rise has been meteoric: this year, he averages 56 in T20Is with a strike-rate of 220. His partner is likely to be wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who has fallen silent since his three T20I centuries last year. Against England, he managed just 51 runs across five innings at a strike-rate of 119, although that number was up to 140 in the IPL.
Reports suggest that Shubman Gill, India’s new (and in-form) Test captain, could be in the mix for the Asia Cup, potentially even getting vice-captaincy. His IPL 2025 surely bolsters that case, having hit 650 at 50 (strike-rate of 156). How (if) he manages to break the incumbent opening pair remains to be seen. Sai Sudharsan, this year’s Orange Cap winner, might feel slightly hard-done by.
In the middle order, Tilak Varma – fresh off a One-Day Cup stint – is another guaranteed pick. He scored the second-most runs for India in the England series, and had a decent IPL as well, striking at 138. A fit-again SKY will lead the side.
Among the additional batting options, India could go with Rinku Singh – their trusted finisher not too long ago – and a backup keeper in Jitesh Sharma. Rinku’s form has blown a bit hot-and-cold, but should still be in contention, with Jitesh likely to make a comeback after starring for RCB in their title-winning run, striking at 176. The other backup keeping options are Ishan Kishan and Dhruv Jurel, but there’s really only space for one.
All-rounders
Among all-rounders, Hardik Pandya is an easy pick, while Axar Patel (whether or not he retains vice-captaincy) should slot in as another one. In terms of strike-rate, this IPL was his best ever (157), batting from four to six for Delhi Capitals. With the ball, it wasn’t as memorable, but in the UAE specifically, he averages 27 at an economy of less than six-and-a-half.
Washington Sundar could be the other spin all-rounder. His T20I career has been quite up-and-down, never really getting an uninterrupted run: under Gautam Gambhir, that could change. Call it a bit of recency bias, but a great Test series – albeit in a completely different role – should also slightly push his case further.
As a backup seam-bowling all-rounder, Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy could be in for a straight shootout. The concern for Nitish is his recent knee injury: his recent social media posts still show him under rehabilitation. Dube has been long-identified as a spin-hitting option, although his bowling output has trailed off recently. He had come in for Nitish in the England T20Is as an injury replacement as well.
Bowlers
Among spinners, Varun Chakravarthy is an easy pick. Enjoying a revival under Gambhir, he took 14 wickets at 9.85 in the England series, and remained solid during the IPL. Kuldeep Yadav, who sat on the bench through the entire Test tour, might have to wait for his chances, again. This is, of course, unless the management decides to keep one all-rounder fewer, especially with Chakravarthy around to bowl in the powerplay: in that scenario, Ravi Bishnoi also comes into contention.
If Jasprit Bumrah is fit (and there’s been a big question mark recently), he’ll automatically take one spot, leaving the other two spots to be filled by Arshdeep Singh, a T20I regular, and potentially Mohammed Siraj.
Siraj hasn’t played T20Is since July last year, and wasn’t part of India’s Champions Trophy win either. But there could be a temptation to bring him back after a stellar England series, although there could be stiff competition from Prasidh Krishna, this season’s IPL Purple Cap winner. As an aside, Harshit Rana might also be hoping to squeeze in if Bumrah doesn’t make it.
India’s predicted Asia Cup squad
Batters
Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh
Wicketkeepers
Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma
All-rounders
Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube/Nitish Kumar Reddy
Bowlers
Jasprit Bumrah (if fit), Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj/Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
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