Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan picked India's playing XI for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup, starting on September 9 (via his YouTube channel). With Shubman Gill being included in the 15-member squad, Pathan broke the successful opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, replacing the latter with the Indian Test captain.The 2007 T20 World Cup winner picked the Mumbai Indians (MI) duo of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav at No. 3 and 4. Pathan's left field choice came at No.5, with the inclusion of Sanju Samson at the position.Samson scored three T20I centuries opening the batting in the past year, while his numbers at No. 5 make for dismal reading. The right-hander averages under 21 in five innings in T20Is at the position.The two world-class all-rounders, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, come in at No. 6 and 7. At No. 8, Pathan picked either Shivam Dube or Kuldeep Yadav, with the selection being dependent on the nature of the pitch.The former all-rounder rounded off his playing XI with Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Varun Chakaravarthy at No. 9, 10, and 11.Irfan Pathan's Team India playing XI for the 2025 Asia CupShubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube/Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy"Shubman Gill can do the work Virat Kohli has done for many years" - Irfan PathanIrfan Pathan backed Shubman Gill to replicate the legendary Virat Kohli in T20Is, starting from the 2025 Asia Cup. Gill has not played T20Is for over a year, dating back to the Sri Lankan tour in July 2024.His inclusion in the Asia Cup squad raised a few eyebrows, considering India's incredible recent form in T20Is."Shubman Gill can do the work the great Virat Kohli has done for many years. Virat Kohli has played cricket in his own style. He tried to play long innings and found his own way in T20 cricket. If you six-hitters, he is not Chris Gayle, is Virat Kohli, but if you look at value, he had a lot of valuein T20s. I see Shubman Gill as a player of the mold," said Pathan (via the aforementioned source) (2:23)Gill's T20I numbers are mediocre, with an average of under 31 and a strike rate of 139.27 in 21 outings. However, he is coming off an incredible Test series in England, scoring 754 runs at an average of over 75 with four centuries.