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India have announced their squad for this year’s Asia Cup.
They’ve had to plan for life after Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and other superstars, who have retired from T20 cricket.
Regardless, there are some interesting inclusions and exclusions.
Shubman Gill is in, as vice-captain, but let’s consider five discards that probably should have been included.
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Who was picked instead: Shubman Gill
Jaiswal can be considered among the few all-format opening batters in international cricket. While his Test selection is inarguable, the Indian selectors have found it fit to exclude him from their T20 cricket plans for now.
On the face of it, Jaiswal’s exclusion has come at the expense of Shubman Gill’s inclusion. Gill has not played a T20I in more than a year – and will plenty of prove in Abu Dhabi and Dubai next month.
2. Prasidh Krishna
- Who was picked instead: Jasprit Bumrah
Granted, Krishna has been included among the reserves, but he really should have made the original cut. We’re talking about the out-and-out top wicket-taker in the 2025 Indian Premier League here. He earned that purple cap for good reason, outstripping such talents as Josh Hazlewood, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.
It’s odd that Bumrah has been preferred to Krishna for this trip to the United Arab Emirates, where conditions don’t generally favour bowlers and can be hard on the body. The Board of Control for Cricket in India are so big on managing Bumrah’s workload, so one would have thought this was another opportunity to rest him during a relatively meaningless tournament.
3. Washington Sundar
- Who was picked instead: Axar Patel
Sundar’s versatility is immense. He is the epitome of a utility cricketer and could likely make the Indian XI as a specialist batter or bowler, but its his all-round renown we’ll miss during the 2025 Asia Cup.
Instead, India have opted for another equally-versatile spinning all-rounder in Axar Patel – and appointed him vice-captain. No stress, though. This won’t be the last we see of Sundar, who reminded fans and critics alike of his superb credentials against England recently.
Also read: Kedar Jadhav makes bold prediction about India playing Pakistan in Asia Cup
4. Riyan Parag
- Who was picked instead: Rinku Singh
Another Indian cricketer with leadership prowess, Pirag’s progress for the Rajasthan Royals hasn’t translated to national inclusion this time. In somewhat of a like-for-like selection, Rinku Singh has been picked ahead of Pirag here.
Singh is among the best finishers in world cricket and will have the chance to fill his boots in batting-friendly conditions, against smaller teams such as Hong Kong, Oman and UAE.
5. Shreyas Iyer
- Who was picked instead: Abhishek Sharma
It’s incredible to know that Iyer was among the leading run-scorers in the 2025 Indian Premier League and captained the Punjab Kings to the final, but still couldn’t find a place in India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup.
Iyer was likely in a battle with Abhishek Sharma for this spot in the squad. The selectors went for Sharma, trusting his fine form for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL will shine through on the international stage.
India’s 6 other Asia Cup discards
1. Dhruv Jurel
2. Sai Sudharsan
3. Tushar Deshpande
4. Nitish Kumar Reddy
5. Mayank Yadav
6. Ramandeep Singh
7. Shabhaz Ahmed
India’s squad for the Asia Cup
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), 2 Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson.
Read next: The 7 richest IPL cricketers of all time: Kohli, Sharma and Jadeja’s huge contracts revealed
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