India's squad for Asia Cup 2025: Gill, Iyer reportedly set for mega return, Axar Patel to lose key responsibility

The selection of the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in T20 format, is still far off, but eye-popping speculations have started doing the rounds. One of the biggest leaks has been that India’s new Test captain, Shubman Gill, will be making a comeback to the T20I squad as vice-captain in the squad for the Asia Cup 2025.

India’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign starts on 10 September with a group match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai on 10 September. They are also scheduled to play Pakistan on 14 September. The Indian squad will be captained by T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, but he may get a new deputy.

Axar Patel has been the vice-captain in the Indian T20I side recently, but he is set to lose out on that position to Shubman Gill, who has impressed the whole BCCI ecosystem by leading India to a 2-2 draw in a five-match Test series against England away from home.

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Gill to return to India T20I squad as vice-captain

Gill’s last T20I was against Sri Lanka in July 2024, but he could be seen opening got India in the 10 September game against the UAE, as per reports in RevSportz and News24.

“With Suryakumar Yadav set to be fit for the tournament, which will be played in T20 format this year, Gill is likely to deputise for him. This will not only mark Gill’s return to the T20I setup but also enhance his status as a growing leader in the Indian dressing room across formats,” the RevSportz report said.

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As per News24, Saju Samson could be the opener who may pay a heavy price with the return of Gill to the T20I squad, besides Axar losing his vice-captaincy role.

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We had reported earlier that even Sai Sudharsan and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were part of the Test squad in England, are also available for the Asia Cup, but the decision lies in the hands of the BCCI selectors.

Shreyas Iyer to play in Asia Cup 2025?

Another report in the Times of India has claimed that Shreyas Iyer may also be set for a return. Iyer is back in ODIs and was part of the Champions Trophy-winning squad earlier this year, but his last T20Is came against Australia in 2023.

“We need Iyer’s class and experience in the middle order in all formats,” a BCCI source told the Times of India.

Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant, who fractured his toe in the fourth Test against England, is set to miss out on the Asia Cup 2025. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah may also sit out as selectors look to manage his workload. However, there’s no guarantee of Bumrah’s absence.

“If Bumrah plays Asia Cup and suppose India plays the final, no way can he play against West Indies at Ahmedabad. Obviously, the question arises, do you need Bumrah against West Indies or he plays Asia Cup after a month’s break and plays the two Tests against South Africa. That call, Ajit Agarkar and Gautam Gambhir will have to take,” a BCCI source told PTI.

India’s last T20I squad (for matches against England): Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Tilak Varma, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy.