NEW DELHI: The BCCI selectors sprung a major surprise on Tuesday by not only including Shubman Gill in India's 15-member squad for the T20 Asia Cup squad but by also appointing him the vice-captain in a format that he hasn't regularly played at the international level. The other major decision taken was to overlook Shreyas Iyer - a decision that did not sit well with Indian cricket fans.
In the lead-up to India's Asia Cup squad announcement, talks in the cricketing circles were around the possible inclusion of Test captain Gill. However, cricket pundits remain skeptical about his chances, given the current opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson.
Gill's place in India's T20 scheme of things had become doubtful after Samson and Abhishek consistently performing at the top, especially in the series against Bangladesh, South Africa, and England. However, the Gujarat Titans' skipper silenced doubters with a strong IPL 2025 campaign - scoring 650 runs at a strike rate of 155.87 while also guiding his franchise to the playoffs.
At the press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed his delight at having Gill as his deputy, adding that the Test skipper had been in the team's plans since last year.
"Last time when he played T20s post the World Cup, when we went to Sri Lanka, he was vice-captain," Surya reminded. "That's where we started a new cycle for T20 World Cup. After that we got busy with Test cricket, and he didn't get opportunities. We're happy to have him (back)."
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah's inclusion strengthens India's pace attack that also has Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana and all-rounder Hardik Pandya. In the spin department, India will rely on Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel, with Abhishek Sharma providing part-time support.
Eight-time champions India will begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE at the Dubai International Stadium on September 10.
Squad: Surya Kumar 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
Stand-by players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel
