Team India’s lineup for Asia Cup 2025 is likely to be named in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19. From September 9 to September 28, the UAE will host the eight-nation T20 competition. After a month-long hiatus following the five-match Test series in England that finished in a 2-2 draw, the event will also mark India’s comeback to international cricket.
Fortunately for the Men in Blue, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav passed the fitness test and can now captain the squad in the 2025 Asia Cup. Suryakumar passed a fitness test at the Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru, according to an article in The Indian Express. In June, the batter had surgery in Munich, Germany, for a sports hernia.
Jasprit Bumrah, the top pacer, will also compete in the tournament. The fast bowler has declared himself ready for the 2025 Asia Cup, according to numerous media sources. Although the availability of Suryakumar and Bumrah is fantastic for India, the selectors still have a lot to consider before deciding on the team for the Twenty20 competition. Here are five selection-related issues for India’s 2025 Asia Cup team.
1. How can Shubman Gill fit into the scheme of things?
The Test captain of Team India, Shubman Gill is believed to be in with a superlative opportunity of playing a T20I come back in the Asia Cup 2025 after his red-ball feats during the England visit. The 25-year-old ended his 21-T20I career on 4 July 2024 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele.
Assuming that Shubman will be selected into the India Asia Cup 2025 team, finding a place in the starting eleven will become a significant problem. The first two slots of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson can not be divided and the rest of the batting line up is all but set.
Even a deserving candidate like Yashasvi Jaiswal is not likely to be selected because of unavailability of spots. And a big question then, is, as an example, say Gill finds a place in the Team India Squad in the Asia Cup 2025, and then where will he play?
2. Can Shreyas Iyer find a place in the middle order?
Shreyas Iyer’s case is quite unique. His dismissal from the Test team makes sense, although it’s a little unexpected that he hasn’t participated in a T20I since December 2023. One may conclude that the 30-year-old has had bad luck.
In the 2025 Indian Premier League, Shreyas scored 604 runs for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 17 innings. Nevertheless, it appears like the right-handed batter may have to wait for his T20I return. Since Tilak Varma and Suryakumar are ranked No. 3 and No. 4, Shreyas could only enter if there was a fitness or injury concern.
3. Dhruv Jurel or Jitesh Sharma – who will be the second wicketkeeper?
Samson is currently the first-choice T20I keeper, while Dhruv Jurel or Jitesh Sharma might be selected as India’s second-string batsman in the 2025 Asia Cup. Jitesh has the advantage with the willow in hand, but Jurel is the superior keeper despite the fact that both hitters have comparable talents.
Although both Jurel and Jitesh had respectable IPL 2025 campaigns, the latter may have the advantage based on form and big-hitting prowess. He may win the match thanks to his incredible 85* off 33 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) while leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
4. Shivam Dube or Nitish Reddy – who will be the back-up all-rounder?
India is blessed for choice when it comes to selecting all-rounders for the Asia Cup 2025. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya are almost guaranteed to be selected. The selectors can choose between Shivam Dube and Nitish Kumar Reddy if they want to have another choice.
Reddy and Dube are both batting all-rounders by trade. Based on recent performance, the former might be chosen if given the choice between the two. Reddy performed poorly in England and had a lackluster IPL season. The child has also been dealing with a number of injury problems lately.
5. Will Siraj be rewarded for his heroics in England?
Mohammed Siraj was outstanding with the ball during the Test series in England, while Gill was outstanding with the bat. Unlike Gill, though, there isn’t much discussion about his potential selection for the 2025 Asia Cup.
Siraj, Harshit Rana, and Prasidh Krishna may be competing for a pacer spot in the Asia Cup T20I team, even though Burmah and Arshdeep Singh are surefire picks. Although Harshit has recently been the go-to option, it would be too soon to completely rule out Siraj making a comeback to T20I.
