Shreyas Iyer, Jitesh Sharma set for Asia Cup call-up, Shubman Gill falls out of contention: Reports
The BCCI selection committee, headed by former Indian cricketer Ajit Agarkar, is set to hold a meeting to finalise the squad for Asia Cup 2025. The ACC event, to be held in the T20 format this time as a prelude to the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, is set to kick off on September 9. While the tournament inches closer, India is yet to stamp the right combination. The shorter format took a backseat following the conclusion of the 2024 T20 World Cup. As the longer format took precedence, players like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were edged out of the T20I scene. Now, the BCCI is sceptical about whether the Asia Cup is the right time to hand them a comeback in the India squad.
BCCI likely to hand a longer rope to Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson for Asia Cup 2025; Shubman Gill out of contention
After India's historic World Cup win, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja retired from the shorter format. Gautam Gambhir took over as the Indian head coach, who then opted for Suryakumar Yadav as the next Indian T20I captain. Under this new regime of Gambhir as the head coach and SKY leading the side, the Men in Blue have kept up their dominance in the format. Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma earned an entry into the mix on the back of his record-breaking run in IPL 2024 for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Sanju Samson, who had sporadic chances in the team until then, gained a longer rope and an assured opening spot in this transitioned group. However, the inclusion of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma happened after Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal left their spots. The youngsters last played a T20I on the Sri Lanka tour in 2024. Following the white-ball series, India looked forward to a lengthy Test schedule with home series against Bangladesh, New Zealand, and the Australia tour for the five-match Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Moreover, the conclusion of the Border Gavaskar Trophy and the WTC Cycle was followed by the ICC Champions Trophy. Thus, as Gill and Jaiswal focused on Tests and the ODI format, Samson and Abhishek Sharma swiftly carved their spots in the Indian T20I setup. Abhishek Sharma has emerged as India's highest scorer in the format since the 2024 T20 World Cup, amassing 535 runs in 16 innings at a strike rate of 193.84. With a blazing strike rate, also the highest among the players in the current squad, the opening batter has smashed two centuries.
Samson follows Abhishek in the list with 487 runs struck at a strike rate of 171.47. Opening for India, Samson became the first Indian batter to hit centuries in consecutive T20I innings with his record-breaking knocks against Bangladesh at home and on the South Africa tour. Now, as the Asia Cup approaches, the BCCI selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has no solid ground to drop the openers from the mix. The only reason would be to fit Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the India squad for the Asia Cup.
Initial reports suggested that the board is keen on bringing in Shubman Gill. The selection call was reportedly influenced by the board's inclination towards grooming Gill as the next all-format captain of India. Taking over as India's Test captain, Gill impressed with a hard-fought 2-2 draw in the India vs England series. Following the Test series, the BCCI looked to fit Shubman as the deputy of Suryakumar Yadav for Asia Cup 2025. However, the latest update suggests that the selection committee has dropped the idea.
In the meeting, slated to take place on 19 August, Ajit Agarkar and his council are likely to opt against hampering the well-set combination. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will reportedly head to the UAE for the Asia Cup, while Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal could be asked to wait a bit longer for their T20I returns. Furthermore, Suryakumar Yadav, who has cleared his fitness test for the tournament following his groin strain surgery, is also reported to join the meeting.
Shreyas Iyer, Jitesh Sharma likely to be included in the India squad for Asia Cup
While Gill and Jaiswal could be pushed to the sidelines, Shreyas Iyer and Jitesh Sharma are in line for a much-awaited call-up. With Sanju Samson in the combination, the BCCI could call Jitesh as the backup opener in the India squad for Asia Cup 2025. Jitesh last played for India back in January 2024. However, with Rishabh Pant still recovering from the injury sustained in the India vs England series, Jitesh will claim a spot.
Shreyas Iyer has done enough in the previous IPL seasons to vie for a spot. After being scrapped from the BCCI central contract earlier last year, Iyer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 trophy. In IPL 2025, the middle-order batter held the reins of Punjab Kings, leading the team to their first playoffs and their first final in over a decade. Moreover, Shreyas Iyer emerged as one of the leading contenders behind India's title victory at the ICC Champions Trophy. Now, reports point out that the management is looking for a reliable pick in the middle order for Asia Cup 2025, and Iyer fits the bill.
However, Iyer's inclusion in the India squad for the Asia Cup will come at the cost of either Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube. Both batters were part of the home series against England, the last T20I assignment in the India cricket schedule. However, the batters endured a subdued run in IPL 2025, and the BCCI could axe one of them from the squad to make way for Iyer to enter the combination.
