India Names Squads for Asia Cup and Women’s ODI World Cup
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the Indian men’s squad for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed on Tuesday that Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, while Shubman Gill has been appointed vice-captain.
The Asia Cup begins on September 9 in the UAE, with India set to play its opening match against the hosts on September 10.
Men’s Squad Highlights
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Gill as vice-captain: Despite being overlooked for the recent T20 World Cup, Gill earned a leadership role. He had scored over 650 runs in the last IPL season.
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Fresh faces: Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, and Harshit Rana have been included.
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Big omissions: Mohammed Siraj and Washington Sundar miss out, though Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sundar are named as reserves.
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Bumrah’s return: Star pacer Jasprit Bumrah is back in the T20 setup after last featuring in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Shreyas Iyer, despite guiding Punjab Kings to the IPL final, has not been picked.
India-Pakistan Rivalry Could Intensify
India and Pakistan are drawn in Group A alongside Oman and UAE. The two arch-rivals will clash first on September 14 in Dubai. If both progress to the Super 4 stage, they will meet again on September 21, and a third encounter is possible in the final on September 28.
Group A: India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE
Group B: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong
India’s Fixtures:
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Sept 10: vs UAE
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Sept 14: vs Pakistan
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Sept 19: vs Oman
India remains the tournament’s most successful team, having won the Asia Cup eight times since its inception in 1984. Sri Lanka has lifted the trophy six times, while Pakistan has won twice.
However, political tensions may overshadow the event. Following a recent terror attack in Pahalgam, voices in India have opposed playing against Pakistan. Earlier, Pakistan had pulled out of the Hockey Asia Cup in Bihar citing similar concerns.
Women’s ODI World Cup Squad Announced
Shortly after the men’s squad announcement, the women’s selection panel, headed by Neetu David, revealed the Indian women’s team for the ODI World Cup 2025, starting September 30 in India. India’s first match will be against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru.
Women’s Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (wk), Kranti Gaur, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav, Shri Charani, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Sneh Rana.
