Shubman Gill is back in India’s T20 set-up – and straight into the deputy role – after the selectors unveiled a 15-strong squad for next month’s Asia Cup in the UAE. Suryakumar Yadav keeps the captaincy, while all-rounder Axar Patel, vice-captain in January, drops down the leadership order.
“We’re comfortable with the depth and versatility we’ve chosen,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said in the BCCI release. “Shubman’s form across formats made the decision to recall him fairly simple.”
Opening options
Gill’s return instantly strengthens the top order. Alongside him sit Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, though Samson could yet slot into the middle if the think-tank prefers a left-hand/right-hand opening mix. Yashasvi Jaiswal, prolific in last winter’s home series, is among the five stand-bys, suggesting India want cover without crowding the main group.
Middle-order shape
Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma (another potential opener) provide the core hitting. All four score quickly, but each in a slightly different register – a point reiterated by batting coach Vikram Rathour: “Tilak finds gaps, Rinku clears ropes, and we know what Surya can do in every phase.”
All-round balance
Hardik Pandya, Axar and Shivam Dube give India seam-spin variety as well as depth at No.6-8. Dube’s selection, a reward for his tidy seamers and hefty runs for Chennai in IPL 2025, nudges India closer to the multi-skill trend that dominated the last T20 World Cup.
Bowling mix
Jasprit Bumrah heads a pace unit featuring left-armer Arshdeep Singh and rookie Harshit Rana, whose lower-order hitting helped Kolkata finish fourth in the IPL. Wrist-spin comes via Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy – contrasting in pace and trajectory – with Axar’s orthodox left-armers on standby.
Leaving out runs
The headline omissions are Shreyas Iyer and the aforementioned Jaiswal. Iyer’s 604 IPL runs at 175 were impressive, yet the panel appears wary of squeezing another middle-over player into a squad already brimming with them. “Shreyas was incredibly close,” Agarkar conceded. “We had to balance roles rather than reputations.”
Gill’s path back
The 25-year-old last played a T20I in July 2024, then missed successive series while focussing on Tests and ODIs. Since then he has lifted the Champions Trophy, topped the runs chart in England’s five-Test contest, and hammered 650 IPL runs at a strike rate touching 156. His white-ball pedigree felt impossible to ignore.
Group and fixtures
India share Group A with Pakistan, Oman and hosts UAE. They open against the UAE in Dubai on 10 September, face Pakistan four nights later, and complete the group in Abu Dhabi versus Oman on 19 September. The final is scheduled for 28 September, also in Dubai.
The squad in full
1. Suryakumar Yadav (capt)
2. Shubman Gill (vc)
3. Hardik Pandya
4. Arshdeep Singh
5. Abhishek Sharma
6. Tilak Varma
7. Shivam Dube
8. Axar Patel
9. Jitesh Sharma (wk)
10. Jasprit Bumrah
11. Varun Chakravarthy
12. Kuldeep Yadav
13. Harshit Rana
14. Rinku Singh
15. Sanju Samson
Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Early talking points
• Can India settle on a fixed opening pair, or will match-ups dictate rotation?
• Is Dube ready for death-overs responsibility if Hardik’s overs are limited?
• Which wrist-spinner gets the nod – Kuldeep’s loop or Varun’s mystery skid?
Answers will emerge in the desert heat soon enough, but for now Gill’s elevation stands out: a return, a promotion, and perhaps the clearest sign yet that India see him as a leader across formats.
