The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced their 15-man squad that will travel to UAE next month to take part in the Asia Cup 2025.
There were a few surprises in the roster as Shreyas Iyer failed to make the cut, despite his tremendous form in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League over the past two years.
Shubman Gill's place in the squad was in doubt before the announcement, however, after the team was declared, Gill was included in the 15-man roster and was appointed as the team's vice-captain.
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Sanju Samson was an automatic choice for the selectors after his impressive performances for India in the last one year. The Rajasthan Royals captain is likely to open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma and will serve as the team's first-choice wicket-keeper.
As Samson's cover, Royal Challengers Bengaluru glovesman Jitesh Sharma was picked in the team, while India Test wicket-keeper Dhurv Jurel made it to the standbys list.
With Sharma and Jurel serving as Samson's deputies, questions are being raised about Rishabh Pant's future in T20 Internationals.
READ: Who will open for India in Asia Cup 2025?
Ex-KKR batter predicts bleak future for Rishabh Pant after Asia Cup 2025 snub
Former India international and ex-KKR opener Aakash Chopra felt that Pant's T20I career might be over after the Asia Cup squad snub.
Chopra said, "One more interesting point Ajit Agarkar made was that there was no player being considered as injured. That means Rishabh Pant wasn’t even in their scheme of things. He mentioned that all the players who were selected were available.
"That indicates Rishabh is not the wicket-keeper batter they have in mind, or perhaps KL Rahul is the wicket-keeper batter they prefer. So, even without explicitly naming anyone, the non-selection provides that clarity.”
It has to be noted that Pant is currently nursing a leg injury that he suffered during the fourth Test in the England tour at Manchester.