Last Updated on 8 months ago by Charbel Coorey
India squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: 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
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel
India in T20Is since 2024 T20 World Cup
- Matches played: 20
- Matches won: 16
- Matches lost: 3
- RPO: 9.90
Top Performers
Most runs since 2024 T20 WC
- Abhishek Sharma (LHB): 535 runs in 16 innings, AVG: 33.43, SR: 193.84
- Sanju Samson (RHB): 487 runs in 16 innings, AVG: 34.78, SR: 171.47
- Tilak Varma (LHB): 413 runs in 9 innings, AVG: 82.60, SR: 170.66
- Hardik Pandya (RHB): 320 runs in 13 innings, AVG: 35.55, SR: 145.45
- Suryakumar Yadav (RHB): 258 runs in 14 innings, AVG: 18.42, SR: 161.25
Most wickets since 2024 T20 WC
- Varun Chakaravarthy (Right-arm Wrist spin): 31 wickets in 12 innings, AVG: 11.25, ECO: 7.58
- Ravi Bishnoi (Right-arm Wrist spin): 25 wickets in 18 innings, AVG: 19.16, ECO: 7.14
- Arshdeep Singh (LAP): 20 wickets in 11 innings, AVG: 15.15, ECO: 7.87
- Washington Sundar (off-spin): 14 wickets in 11 innings, AVG: 11.42, ECO: 5.71
- Axar Patel (left-arm orthodox): 13 wickets in 10 innings, AVG: 16.30, ECO: 7.06
India 2025 Asia Cup Squad Overview and Key Changes
Shubman Gill has made a comeback to India’s T20I squad for the Asia Cup, replacing Axar Patel as vice-captain.
“We obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. [He] exceeded all our expectations, which is a great sign when there’s so much pressure as captain,” chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar said in Mumbai.
There was no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who finds himself instead among the five reserve players, along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel. Shreyas Iyer, who scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025, also did not find a place in the 15.
“With regard to Yashasvi, it’s just unfortunate again,” Agarkar said. “There’s Abhishek Sharma: what he’s done over the last year or so – plus he can bowl a little bit – he gives us that option if required. One of these guys was going to miss out. Yashasvi just has to wait for his chance.
“With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So, he will have to wait for his chance.”
Gill was vice-captain in the previous T20I series he had played – in Sri Lanka in July 2024 – but he had not been picked in any of the subsequent series as India prioritised his appearances in the Test and ODI formats.
“Last time when he [Gill] played T20 for India, post T20 World Cup when we went to Sri Lanka – not Zimbabwe – when I was leading, he was the vice-captain,” Suryakumar said after the selection meeting in Mumbai. “So that’s where we started a new cycle. After that, he got busy with all the Test series, and he didn’t get an opportunity to play T20s because he was busy playing Test cricket and Champions Trophy. So, he’s there in the squad, and we’re happy to have him.”
Missed Riyan Parag?
As Divyansh Peswani (@whydewcare) rightly points out in his excellent Substack piece, unlike top-order batsmen, a middle-order batter’s performance should be evaluated in the context of the situation they walk into. He then presents some fascinating numbers, as outlined below.
Parag has recorded a T20 SR of 144 since 2023 at an average of 33. That, put together with his half-decent bowling, and the improvements we had seen in this year’s IPL made him a very desirable option for No.5.
Also, a set Riyan Parag (15+ balls faced) has struck at 190 in the death overs, while even an unset Riyan Parag (<15 balls faced) has managed an even higher death overs strike rate of 199.
Predicted Starting XI
- Abhishek Sharma
- Shubman Gill
- Tilak Varma
- Suryakumar Yadav (c)
- Axar Patel
- Hardik Pandya
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Harshit Rana
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Jasprit Bumrah
- Varun Chakravarthy
Top-order conundrum
Gill’s appointment as vice-captain all but confirms that he will partner the dynamic Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. While Samson hasn’t done much wrong in the opportunities he’s had (and could still be considered for No. 3), Gill’s high-percentage yet highly effective approach — reflected in his IPL strike rate of 155.87 this season — gives him the edge.
At No. 3, though Samson remains in contention, Tilak Varma’s left-handedness, coupled with his two T20I centuries in the last seven matches, makes him the likely frontrunner for the role. With Samson missing out on the top three, Jitesh Sharma will slot in as the finisher and wicketkeeper.
Also, a typical top-order innings lasts around 20–25 runs.
Looking at the batters of interest here (graph below, again from Divyansh’s excellent Substack piece), Abhishek Sharma stands out — he crosses the 20-run mark in nearly every other innings and strikes at 201 when he does, creating a clear gap from his peers.
Samson reaches a 20-run score only 40% of the time, but when he does, he strikes at 167. His peers achieve this milestone about 50% more often and maintain scoring rates that aren’t far behind his.
No.8?
While Bumrah, Kuldeep, Varun, and Arshdeep are automatic picks in the 15-member squad, only three are likely to feature together at any given time, given Gambhir and India’s emphasis on batting depth.
Harshit Rana is the only bowler in the squad who can offer contributions with the bat, making him the frontrunner for the No. 8 spot. This could also explain his selection ahead of Prasidh Krishna, who, despite taking 25 wickets in the IPL, was ignored.
But if Harshit’s batting doesn’t come through (it hasn’t yet translated from FC cricket to other formats), India’s solitary notable weakness — the lack of bowlers who can hit — will likely persist. In the long run, this is where someone like Vipraj Nigam — who hit 8 sixes in 79 balls while also bowling 39 overs in IPL 2025 — could prove valuable.
Another option for India is to play Shivam Dube as an all-rounder, with him, Hardik, Axar, and Abhishek sharing eight overs between them. But Kuldeep will have to make way for Arshdeep in that combination.
While this may not be a major concern in this tournament given the oppositions, it’s an area India will need to reassess and address ahead of the T20 World Cup next year.
Team Notes (Strengths & Weaknesses)
- LHB-RHB opening pair
- Both Gill and Abhishek are strong against all types of spin, with Abhishek being especially explosive, striking at over 200 against spin in the Powerplay in T20s since 2023.
- Since 2023, Abhishek has averaged 24.75 against left-arm pace in the Powerplay in T20s, while Gill has averaged 97.67 — so if a left-arm pacer opens the attack, Gill can take strike.
- Since 2023, Abhishek has averaged 22.17 against short balls from pacers in T20s, while Gill has averaged 36.75 and is among the world’s better players of the short ball — complementing each other well in this regard too.
- India’s top six features three left-handers and three right-handers, making it harder for oppositions to plan.
- Suryakumar Yadav averages just 5.60 in five T20Is in 2025 and has managed an average of only 18.42 in the format since last year’s T20 World Cup. Add to that a poor domestic season, and his form could easily have been a major concern for India. But he roared back in the IPL, producing a phenomenal season with 717 runs at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.92 — a timely reminder of why he’s regarded as the world’s best T20 batter.
- Most of India’s middle-order batters have complementary skills, which means maximising the team’s overall output will require them to play smartly to their favoured matchups.
- Legspin is Tilak’s kryptonite, but it’s very difficult to bowl against SKY and Axar.SKY’s weakest matchup is left-arm spin, but Tilak and Axar thrive against it.
- Axar struggles against pace, but SKY strikes at over 170 against it.
- Lower Order’s Range Against Pace
- While Jitesh enjoyed a stellar IPL season, showing apparent improvement in handling short-pitched pace, it remains to be seen if that success translates to international cricket, where bigger ground and deeper attacks could challenge his range.
- Axar’s limited range against pace, particularly back-of-length pace, is well-known, and even Hardik has his issues against hit-the-deck pace, which only gets magnified on larger grounds.
- This is where someone like Riyan Parag could be missed.
- In Bumrah, Kuldeep, and Chakaravarthy, India possess three high-quality all-phase bowlers — a rare luxury in white-ball cricket.
- Chakaravarthy (right-arm leg-spin), Kuldeep (left-arm chinaman), and Axar (left-arm orthodox) form as complete a spin unit as you can get. Abhishek can chip in with some overs of part-time spin as well.
- Harshit Rana provides India with a tall, hit-the-deck option in the middle overs, while Hardik too can bowl into-the-pitch cutters, smartly exploiting conditions and ground dimensions.
References
- https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/asia-cup-2025-india-have-almost-every-t20-base-covered-but-no-8-issue-persists-1499608
- https://divyanshpeswani.substack.com/p/covering-all-the-bases
- https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/shubman-gill-returns-to-india-s-t20i-squad-as-vice-captain-for-asia-cup-1499578
