“India moving backwards” – Fans get frustrated as star player gets selected in 15-member squad for 2025 Asia Cup

Shubman Gill has made his comeback to India's T20 squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup. The 25-year-old has also been appointed vice-captain for the continental tournament, replacing Axar Patel for the specific role.

Interestingly, Gill played his last T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2024. He has amassed 578 runs in 21 matches at a strike rate of 139.27, averaging 30.42 with the help of one century and three fifties.

In the IPL 2025 season, Gill amassed 650 runs in 15 innings while leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) at a strike rate of 155.87, hitting six half-centuries.

The majority of fans on X were not impressed with the BCCI's decision to bring back Shubman Gill in the side. One user wrote:

"Shubman Gill is not a T20 batsman. How Jaiswal can't get into the T20 team is baffling!"

Another user commented:

"Shubman Gill ko kaha khilaoge abhi. Sanju ko drop karoge kya (Where will you play Shubman Gill, drop Sanju?"

A third user added:

"Can someone answer me why Shubman Gill is being favoured?"

Here are a few mixed reactions:

India captain and BCCI selection chairman justify Shubman Gill's selection for the 2025 Asia Cup

Team India's T20I captain, Suryakumar Yadav, and BCCI's chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, have justified Shubman Gill's selection for the 2025 Asia Cup. Speaking at the press conference, Yadav said that the Punjab batter was busy with Test cricket, so he didn't play as many T20Is since July last year. He said (via Firstpost):

"Last time when he played T20 post WC, when we went to SL, he was vice-captain. That’s where we started new cycle for T20WC. After that we got busy with Test cricket, and he didn’t get opportunities. We’re happy to have him."

On the other hand, Agarkar lauded Gill for his recent heroics with the bat and as captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England. He said in the same interaction (via RepublicWorld):

"In both T20 cricket (IPL) and Test cricket, Gill is already leading. He was also the vice-captain the last time he played in T20Is. We do see leadership qualities in him, and he showed his quality by exceeding expectations with the bat in England (during the Test series)."

India will begin their 2025 Asia Cup campaign against the UAE in Dubai on September 10.

About the author

James has been covering cricket news for Sportskeeda for 3+ years with over 1 crore readership. He has been following the game since 2002 and has not looked back since. A breaking news specialist, he has a previous 3-year work experience at Times of India, English Jagran, NDTV and others, covering all news categories, including sports.

James holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and a diploma in Sub-editing and Design which shaped his sports reporting career. During the course of his education, he learned about the 5W1H format, fact-checking, ethics, SEO, pyramid structure, etc, which enable him to produce compelling content for his readers. His exploits in reporting have led him to exclusively cover numerous ICC events and IPL.

James comes from Jharkhand and is highly inspired by legendary India captain MS Dhoni. He is a staunch supporter of the ICT and is loyal towards the CSK. When not immersed in his favorite sport, James likes watching Bollywood songs.

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Edited by James Kuanal