Asia Cup 2025- Shubman Gill beats Suryakumar Yadav to captain India squad; sensational promotion
India Test skipper Shubman Gill is in contention for India's T20 Captaincy alongside Hardik Pandya, with Suryakumar Yadav still on the road to recovery.
After much controversy and doubts cast over India's participation in the Asia Cup, the ACC confirmed the schedule for the upcoming continental championship, which will also feature India despite the presence of Pakistan. India will also play Pakistan in the group stage game on the 14th of September in the Asia Cup.
India will now have to focus on building a strong squad to emerge as a competent side in the Asia Cup T20, since they will enter the continental championship as the World Champions in the shortest format of the game. The race begins for the captaincy role ahead of the big tournament.
Shubman Gill in contention for leadership role in T20s
After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game, India had to opt for a new T20 skipper, and Hardik Pandya was foreseen as an ideal replacement, just like he replaced Rohit in the Mumbai Indians camp.
However, citing Hardik's injury concerns and irregularity in the Indian side, the BCCI and Gautam Gambhir picked Suryakumar Yadav as the T20I skipper. SKY has had an impressive record in the format, winning many series with the Indian team.
However, now that he is recovering after a sports hernia surgery, the Indian selectors are considering replacing him as the skipper for the upcoming Asia Cup. Indian Test skipper Shubman Gill and World Cup winner Hardik Pandya are in contention for the captaincy switch, as revealed by CricBlogger sources.
The reports have also revealed that the chief selector is slightly inclined towards Gill after his heroic England series. Given Ajit Agarkar's backing for Shubman Gill, it remains to be seen whether Hardik can muster enough support to stake his claim on the role.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Cricket Team opts out from playing
Gill cited as ODI skipper by former Indian legend
Former Indian veteran Sunil Gavaskar, who has recently voiced immense praise for the inspirational Indian youngster Shubman Gill, has also cited him as the ideal player to replace Rohit Sharma as the ODI captain.
This came after Gavaskar pointed out Gill's ability to manage both leadership and batting roles simultaneously, which he demonstrated through his consistency and calm demeanour in the England series. Hence, for Gavaskar, if India is considering a switch in the ODI captaincy, this is the right time to bring Gill in.
On the other hand, former legendary Indian skipper Kapil Dev has backed Hardik Pandya publicly as the ideal candidate to lead India's white-ball cricket team.
Suryakumar Yadav's Duleep Trophy snub imposes doubts over Asia Cup return
India would have had Suryakumar Yadav as the possible captain leading the Men in Blue in the Asia Cup; however, the batter, after a long IPL and Mumbai T20 league season, underwent an operation for a sports hernia in Munich. Ever since then, he has been rehabilitating at the BCCI Centre of Excellence.
Recently, the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy 2025 was announced, and several players from the Mumbai Cricket Association cut, except for Suryakumar Yadav, who might not have reported for his availability due to checking into the BCCI CoE.
SKY's return for the Asia Cup is uncertain for now, as his recovery status is yet to receive any official confirmation.
Also Read: Big twist in Jasprit Bumrah's Asia Cup 2025 availability: "If he was injured..."
Tagged:
India National Cricket Team Suryakumar Yadav Hardik Pandya Shubman Gill Ajit Agarkar Asia Cup
