On Tuesday (August 19), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The good news is that Suryakumar Yadav returns to lead the Indian cricket team for the high-profile tournament after recovering from a hernia injury. Surprisingly, Shubman Gill makes his comeback into the T20I squad after a year and serves as SKY’s deputy.

Jasprit Bumrah, as India’s spearhead pacer, ensures his availability for the big tournament, thereby adding fuel to the bowling attack. Although Axar Patel has been overlooked for the vice-captaincy role, he retains his place in the squad as a core spin-bowling all-rounder.

But the in-form batters like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s omission raises questions against the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.

Before finding out the Indian team’s squads, let’s discuss the main talking points from the recent press conference attended by Suryakumar and Agarkar.

Gill’s Return as Vice Captain: The Possibility of Becoming an All-format Captain? 

Shubman Gill, who played his last T20I match against Sri Lanka in July 2024, takes over the vice-captaincy role from Axar Patel. One of the main reasons why the management decided to bring back the 25-year-old is to ensure his continuity across all formats.

Here is what SKY had to say about his deputy:

“Yeah! Previously, Gill represented India in T20Is as a vice-captain when we were in Sri Lanka. At that time, I was leading the team, and this is where we started a new cycle for the next T20 World Cup. Thereafter, he became busy with the test series. Right now, we are happy to have him in our squad,” Suryakumar said.

Amidst the increasing speculations, it becomes clear that Rohit Sharma remains the ODI captain. Moreover, Ajit Agarkar answered this question by mentioning that right now the focus is on tests and T20 cricket:

“See! He (Gill) has been the captain of T20 and is currently leading the test squad as well. As SKY mentioned, he served in the vice-captain role when he last played for India in a 20-over format.

Apart from his exceptional form in England, we were able to observe his leadership skills, and he surpassed our expectations. This is indeed a great sign, particularly when there is pressure mounting on a particular player as a captain. Currently, our focus will be on T20 cricket and tests,” Agarkar explained.

About Iyer and Jaiswal’s Absence from the Asia Cup 2025

Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who exhibited an explosive batting performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, failed to find an opportunity to participate in the Asia Cup 2025. However, Ajit Agarkar felt unfortunate for the duo of youngsters to be sidelined from the T20I squad despite their strong performances:

“With regards to Iyer and Jaiswal, it has been unfortunate for both, and there has been neither any fault of theirs nor ours. We had to pick just 15 players at the moment.

Right now, there is no clear spot for Shreyas. And Abhishek Sharma gets the chance as an opener based on his performance over the past few months. Also, he can make decent contributions with the ball and give us an extra option.

So, these guys (Iyer and Jaiswal) were certain to miss out and needed to wait for their chance,” Agarkar added.

Sanju Samson to Miss Out on the Opener’s Role

As Gill returns to the T20I squad, Ajit Agarkar cited Sanju Samson’s uncertainty to continue with the opener’s role for the Asia Cup 2025:

“Yeah! Samson was assigned the opener role just because of the unavailability of Gill and Jaiswal. So, I mean to tell that it would be very difficult to leave Abhishek out of the squad. Also, he can prove to be a handy bowler as well,” Agarkar said.

Can Jasprit Bumrah Manage his Workload After Playing the Cup 2025?

Agarkar clarified that the discussions about Bumrah’s workload management will continue and clarified the veteran pacer’s availability for all big matches:

“Certainly! A long break after the England tour ensures his (Bumrah) availability for all big games. We want him to play high-profile contests like World Cups, Champions Trophy, or series against Australia and England.

We are aware of his injuries he faced over the last 2 to 3 years. So, the physios will be around him to take additional care, keeping in mind his uniqueness and specialty, which won’t change either for this series or the next six months. As a team, we require him because we know how valuable he can be,” Agarkar clarified.

Overall List: India’s Official 15-Member Squad and Standby Players for Asia Cup 2025

Here is the complete list of India’s 15-member squad, along with the five travelling reserve players for the Asia Cup 2025:

India’s 15-Member Squad for Asia Cup 2025:

Travelling Reserves: