The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the 15-man squad that will travel to UAE for the Asia Cup 2025 next month.
T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the media on Tuesday, August 19, to announce the final squad for the Asia Cup.
India Test captain Shubman Gill was named in the squad and was declared as the vice-captain of the side, as Rajasthan Royals opener Yashasvi Jaiswal missed out. Gill, along with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, will make up India's opening options in the tournament.
Kolkata Knight Riders middle-order batter Rinku Singh was picked in the team, despite speculations that the southpaw might be overlooked, while Mumbai Indians' Tilak Varma too was included.
Other than Jaiswal, another notable absentee from the team is Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer, who had an impressive outing in the Indian Premier League 2025 and had led his team to the final of the competition.
Why BCCI ignored Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal in India squad for Asia Cup 2025?
Questions were raised during the press conference on Jaiswal and Iyer's snub in the squad, which chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed.
The former India fast bowler cited Abhishek Sharma's consistency in the format for the national team and extreme competition in the middle-order as the key reasons for leaving out the duo.
Speaking to reporters, Agarkar said: "With regards to Yashasvi, it's just unfortunate. Abhishek Sharma, what he has done over the last few months or a year or so that he has been with team, plus he can bowl a little bit, gives us an option if required by the captain. One of these guys was always going to miss out. It's just unfortunate that Yashasvi will have to wait for his chance.
"With regards to Shreyas, you will have to tell us who he can replace. Again, no fault of his and no fault of ours, it's just that you can pick 15, he will have to wait for his chance."
15-man India squad for Asia Cup 2025
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag.