(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Shubman Gill’s T20I Future: Will He Make India’s Asia Cup 2025 Squad?
Shubman Gill’s form has been nothing short of spectacular in recent months, but his absence from India’s T20I side for over a year has raised questions ahead of the Asia Cup 2025. With other openers stepping up in his absence, the selectors now face a tough decision.
Gill remains an automatic pick in India’s Test and ODI line-ups. He led the Test team to a 2-2 draw in England in his debut series as captain and played a key role in India’s 2023 ODI World Cup final run and 2025 Champions Trophy win. Many see him as a future ODI captain once Rohit Sharma steps aside.
However, India’s next big challenge is the T20I-format Asia Cup in September — a crucial preparation for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. In IPL 2025, Gill scored 650 runs at a strike rate close to 156, underlining his capability as a dynamic T20 batter. But in his absence from the national T20I setup since August 2024, a new opening pair has emerged.
Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have been in top form, with Abhishek scoring 279 runs at a blistering strike rate of 220 in the recent series against England. Samson brings the added advantage of being a wicketkeeper. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal — who, like Gill, has been focusing on Test cricket — was preferred over him as a back-up opener for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli now retired from T20Is, the selectors must decide whether to stick with the ultra-aggressive pairing of Abhishek and Samson or bring in a more stable-yet-attacking option like Gill or Jaiswal.
Squad balance will be key. If the Asia Cup squad is limited to 15 players — the same number allowed for the World Cup — picking all four openers (Abhishek, Samson, Gill, and Jaiswal) could be difficult.
Ultimately, the choice may come down to Gill vs Jaiswal — whoever the selectors believe can make the bigger impact in India’s T20 title defence.
Asia Cup 2025 kicks off on September 9 in the UAE, with India’s high-voltage clash against Pakistan scheduled for September 14.
