Ajit Agarkar pits Sanju Samson against Shubman Gill in brutal fight for India XI spot in Asia Cup
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Indian selector Ajit Agarkar has mentioned that Sanju Samson and Shubman Gill are both great options for the Asia Cup 2025, alongside Abhishek Sharma. He, however, mentions that the coach and captain will make the call for the final Playing XI.
India has announced their squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, and Shubman Gill has made a much-anticipated return to the Indian T20I side. He has also been named as the vice-captain of the side, replacing Axar Patel, who was named as the vice-captain in the England series before the Champions Trophy.
Gill's return to the side has raised a major doubt over who should open the innings. Indian selectors have done their part of the job, and now it's up to the Indian coach and captain to pick a perfect XI from the 15-member squad.
Ajit Agarkar opens up on the Opening combination
Indian selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the press after the official announcement of the Indian squad for the Asia Cup. He said that Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson are both formidable players at the top for India.
Till now, only one of the batters was picked in the side; hence, the decision turned out to be easy for the management. However, now with the Rajasthan Royals skipper as well as the Gujarat Titans skipper making their way into the Asia Cup squad, the final opening pair is to be decided on the field.
Agarkar said, "Gill and Sanju - two very good opening options to have alongside Abhishek Sharma. Captain & Coach will take the call after reaching Dubai".
Sanju Samson is the first-choice wicket-keeper in the side, while Shubman Gill has been named the vice-captain, which implies that either of these players has to be kept in the XI, while some other batter has to probably make way for the two.
India named Yashasvi Jaiswal as a Standby in the Asia Cup
There was immense buzz among the ICC fans as well as the Indian cricket board on the probable selection of Yashasvi Jaiswal, the left-handed batting stalwart from Rajasthan Royals. He shone in this season as well, with 500+ runs in the season.
Jaiswal has terrific numbers for India in the shortest format of the game; however, ever since Abhishek Sharma took over as the opener of the Indian side, his aggressive performances have drawn the attention of the Indian selectors as well as the management.
Agarkar showed deep remorse for not having picked Yashasvi Jaiswal; however, he said that Jaiswal has to wait for his chance, since the Indian team currently does not have any vacancy for a batsman like Jaiswal. Moreover, Abhishek Sharma brings along the experience of spin bowling as well
Yashasvi Jaiswal has, however, been named as a standby for the upcoming Asia Cup alongside the likes of Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Ajit Agarkar gives clear reasons for Shreyas Iyer's snub
After picking over Jaiswal, Ajit Agarkar next highlighted his reasons for the most widely opposed snub of PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has been left out of the Indian T20I squad despite having a splendid season with the Punjab Kings in the IPL as well as with Mumbai in the Indian domestic cycle.
Ajit Agarkar said that there was no room for the Punjab Kings skipper in the squad as they have already got a set team.
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India National Cricket Team Ajit Agarkar Sanju Samson Shubman Gill Abhishek Sharma Gautam Gambhir Asia Cup
