New Delhi: Shubman Gill has been elevated to vice-captaincy as India named their 15-member squad for the Asia Cup T20 tournament, scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE. The 25-year-old opener, who last featured in a T20I against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2024, replaces all-rounder Axar Patel as deputy to skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
“Gill’s form in England was remarkable. We expected him to deliver, but he went beyond expectations,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said while unveiling the squad.
The announcement also marks the much-anticipated return of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who will be featuring in his first T20 competition since last year’s World Cup. His inclusion comes despite concerns over workload management ahead of the crucial home Test series against the West Indies in October.
Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has earned a recall, while Jitesh Sharma has been named as the second wicketkeeper-batter behind Sanju Samson.
Among the five standby players, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal headlines the list, joined by Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, and Riyan Parag. “It’s unfortunate Jaiswal had to miss out, but he will get his chance,” Agarkar added.
India has been drawn in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman, and hosts UAE, setting the stage for a highly anticipated clash against their arch-rivals.
India’s 15-member Asia Cup squad:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag.
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