With the Asia Cup 2025 scheduled to start on September 9 in the UAE, there is much discussion about who will make the cut for the Indian squad, which is likely to be announced in the final half of August. With the Indian cricket calendar at a standstill following a gruelling five-Test series against England, there has been speculation about which players will be selected in the squad.
Suryakumar Yadav is set to be fit for the tournament, which will be played in a T20 format this year, after undergoing sports hernia surgery a few weeks ago. The dynamic batter will lead the side. Shubman Gill is poised to return to the T20I mix as vice-captain after leading the Test side in England with aplomb, and is likely to bat as an opener. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson is expected to bat at number three position, with captain Suryakumar Yadav taking the number four spot in the batting order. Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to be the backup opener for the Asia Cup 2025, should the team management require one.
Tilak Varma, who has been highly impressive in Indian colours and for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, having scored 749 runs in 24 T20I games at an average of 49.93 and a strike rate of 155.07, is set to be picked along with Shreyas Iyer, who led Punjab Kings to the final of IPL 2025 with 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07. Varma and Iyer could compete for one spot in what already looks like a stacked batting unit.
Hardik Pandya will continue to be a mainstay of the T20I side and will play the crucial role of the third pacer and aggressor in the middle order with the bat. Axar Patel, who was India’s vice-captain in their last T20I series against England at home, will be India’s primary spin-bowling all-rounder and is expected to be paired with Washington Sundar, whose rise in international cricket under Gautam Gambhir has been phenomenal. Varun Chakaravarthy will be India’s main specialist spin-bowling option, having impressed upon his return to international cricket, but it remains to be seen who out of Kuldeep Yadav or Ravi Bishnoi will be the second specialist spinner for the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah, who played three Tests against England, is fit to participate, and there is an option to rest him in matches against the UAE and Oman, if necessary. A fresh Bumrah can be unleashed in the crucial game against Pakistan on September 14. If he needs white-ball game time, he could play the opener against the UAE on September 10. However, it is certain that the ace pacer will be rested for the game against Oman on September 19, with another high-octane game against Pakistan possible on September 21. Bumrah will be backed by Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana in the pace department. With hot and humid conditions likely in Dubai and slower pitches expected to assist spinners, India, in all likelihood, will go with two mainstream pacers and Pandya.
Regarding other players in the squad, either Ishan Kishan or Dhruv Jurel is expected to be the backup keeper to Samson. However, it remains to be seen what the selection committee will do with Rinku Singh, who broke into the Indian T20I setup for his finishing skills, though his returns for his IPL team, Kolkata Knight Riders, have been lacklustre over the last couple of seasons, mainly due to facing fewer deliveries. In IPL 2025, Rinku faced just 134 deliveries compared to 113 in IPL 2024. If Rinku doesn’t make the cut, will Shivam Dube return to the fold?
The Indian selection committee is likely to pick the Asia Cup squad in the final half of August.
Possible India Squad for Asia Cup 2025:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (WK), Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh/Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan/Dhruv Jurel, Kuldeep Yadav/Ravi Bishnoi, Yashasvi Jaiswal
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