Mumbai, Aug 20: The national selectors for the men's team sprung a pleasant surprise for the Test team captain Shubman Gill by including him in the T20I team and elevating him as vice-captain under Suryakumar Yadav while at the same time bringing in T20 World Cup stars Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav for the Asia Cup, to be held in the United Arab Emirates from September 9.

The Ajit Agarkar-led committee attempted to strike a balance, giving preference to T20 credentials for some players while accommodating the biggest star of the Indian cricket firmament - Shubman Gill, clearly indicating that current form will not be ignored, even if that was in the longest format. Gill was the star of India's tour of England, compiling a mammoth 752 runs, including a double century.

The one big omission that has set the debate going is Shreyas Iyer failing to find a place in the 15-member squad despite a stellar performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The selectors, however, did not pick Mohammed Siraj, another one who did well for India in England, playing all five Test matches, helping the visitors draw the series 2-2 with a lionhearted effort in the final Test.

Prasidh Krishna, another pacer that many felt was a shoo-in for the Asia Cup, was not picked as the selectors opted for Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana to shoulder the responsibilities in the pace bowling department, along with Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, with medium pacer Shivam Dube chipping in if necessary. Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Kuldeep Yadav will be the main spinners, along with all-rounder Rinku Singh.

Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the standbys for India's Asia Cup squad, said chief selector Ajit Agarkar in the press conference at BCCI headquarters. Agarkar added that standbys may not travel to the UAE with the team, considering the short duration of the tour.

Gill's inclusion will result in a stampede for a place in the top-order with Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Jitesh Sharma while skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who is returning to action after undergoing surgery, will form the middle-order along with all-rounders Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya while Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy will provide the lower-order support.

Surya said Gill's selection was not a surprise as he was the vice-captain on the tour of Sri Lanka post the 2024 T20 World Cup and was captain of the side in Zimbabwe (when SKY was unavailable).

"The last time he did (play) T20 for India, post T20 World Cup, when we went to Sri Lanka, not Zimbabwe, we started a new cycle for T20 World Cup. After that, he got busy with all the Test series. So, he was there in the fray, and we are happy to have him," India T20I captain said in the press conference after the selection committee meeting, which was delayed by nearly a couple of hours because of heavy rains in Mumbai.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia was delayed in reaching the BCCI headquarters because of the heavy rains in Mumbai.

Chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, elaborated on Gill's selection, saying his absence from the T20 squad was largely due to scheduling and commitments in other formats, which opened the door for other batters such as Sanju Samson.

“Sanju was playing because Shubman and Yashasvi were not available at that point. So was Abhishek. Abhishek's performances clearly make it hard to leave him out. Plus, his bowling is handy. But, like I said, Shubman was the vice-captain the last time he played T20 cricket. That was after the last World Cup,” Agarkar said.

The eight-team Asia Cup T20I tournament will be staged in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 9 to 28. Defending champions India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE.

The Men in Blue will start their campaign against the UAE on September 10 before the blockbuster clash against archrivals Pakistan on September 14.

India are scheduled to play 15 T20I games after the continental tournament in the build-up to next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February.

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

(IANS)

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