India Announces Squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav to Lead, Shubman Gill as Vice-Captain

India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025, featuring Suryakumar Yadav as captain and Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Find out the key players, schedule, and more.

“There's Abhishek Sharma, what he's done over the last year or so, plus he can bowl a little bit...”

Defending champions India named top order batter Shubman Gill and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in their Twenty20 squad on Tuesday for next month's Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, however, could not make the cut in the 15-member squad led by Suryakumar Yadav.

India's Test captain Shubman Gill hasn't featured in a T20 International since July last year. He was Suryakumar Yadav's deputy during India's tour of Sri Lanka, marking the beginning of a new cycle in Indian cricket. Suryakumar took over the T20I captaincy from Rohit Sharma after India won the T20 World Cup title last year.

Key Points About Shubman Gill:

Last T20I Appearance: July 2024, as Suryakumar Yadav's deputy in Sri Lanka

Current Role: Test captain of India, vice-captain for Asia Cup 2025

Recent Performance: Successfully led India in Test series, scoring over 700 runs

Suryakumar Yadav's Captaincy:

• Took Over: After Rohit Sharma's retirement from T20Is post T20 World Cup win
• Leadership Style: Praised for man-management skills and strategic foresight
• Record: 9 wins in 11 T20I matches as captain

“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.”

🚨 A look at #TeamIndia's squad for #AsiaCup 2025 🔽 pic.twitter.com/3VppXYQ5SO

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 19, 2025

India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 includes Jasprit Bumrah, whose workload has been a concern for the team management. Despite this, Bumrah was part of the Test series in England earlier this year, playing in three out of five tests. His inclusion in the Asia Cup squad is seen as a boost to India's bowling department.

India's Opening Options:

Shubman Gill: Named vice-captain, Gill's batting position is uncertain due to strong competition from other openers.

 Abhishek Sharma: Preferred over Yashasvi Jaiswal due to his excellent form and ability to bowl, providing an extra option for the team.

Sanju Samson: A wicketkeeper-batsman who adds depth to India's batting lineup.

Regarding Yashasvi Jaiswal's exclusion, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, “With regard to Yashasvi, it's just unfortunate again.” Jaiswal has been named as one of the five standby players for the tournament, along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel.

Other Key Inclusions:

• Rinku Singh: Added as an extra batter to provide depth to the team.

• Jitesh Sharma: Included in the squad after a strong IPL 2025 season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

“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.”

Samson and Jitesh Sharma are the two wicketkeepers in the side, which also includes left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.

India begin their Group A campaign against hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai before meeting arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue four days later.

India squad

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson.