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Cricket fans, brace yourselves—India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad news is stirring up chatter. Reports suggest that Test captain Shubman Gill might just sit this one out, despite smashing it in the recent England series. The team management and selectors reportedly feel that Gill does not quite slot into their T20 plans right now, which makes his chances of playing in the UAE tournament look very slim. The Asia Cup kicks off on 9 September, with India opening against the UAE on 10 September. India’s squad announcement is expected in Mumbai on 19 August.
Yashasvi Jaiswal seems set to grab the third opener’s spot. He was part of India’s victorious 2024 T20 World Cup squad but didn’t get to play, and looks like he’s keeping his place. Sure, there were whispers about swapping him for Gill, but that idea didn’t fly. Gill last played a T20I during the Sri Lanka series in July last year, and although he crushed it in IPL 2025 with the Gujarat Titans, the management wants to keep the tried-and-tested opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Disturbing that combo? Not happening.
Tilak Varma was also considered for a reshuffle to make room for Gill, but with Varma sitting pretty as the No. 2 ranked left-handed T20I batsman, dropping him would have been unfair. Plus, the team doesn’t want Gill warming the bench without playing time. The England Test series success, as impressive as it was, isn’t tipping the scales here—T20 is a whole different ballgame.
Jitesh Sharma is expected to join Samson as the second wicketkeeper-batsman. Jasprit Bumrah will lead the pace attack, confirmed and ready, while Mohammed Siraj might find it tough to sneak in despite his Test heroics. Arshdeep Singh is almost a lock, with Prasidh Krishna and Harshit Rana fighting for the final pacer slot. Hardik Pandya will likely play the fourth pacer role.
Spinners will include Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, and Varun Chakravarthy, with Axar Patel taking the all-rounder spot. All in all, it’s a carefully balanced squad built for the UAE conditions, blending experience and firepower while sticking to what works in T20 cricket. Fans might be bummed about Gill, but India’s team looks ready to hit the ground running when the Asia Cup kicks off.
**This news was published on India Today on 18th August, 2025.
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Not like they wanted t..