Team India announce squad for 2025 Asia Cup; star batter named as new vice-captain 

The Indian men's team selection committee have named a 15-man squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), scheduled to begin from September 9 onwards. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side features usual suspects like Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, and Hardik Pandya, while notable big names missed out due to the stiff competition.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Suryakumar Yadav officially unveiled the squad in a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19.

Shubman Gill has been named as the new vice-captain of the side, as all-rounder Axar Patel loses the title from the leadership perspective.

The Men in Blue have chosen to trust their well-performing opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, leaving no room for Yashasvi Jaiswal in the side.

As far as the middle-order is concerned, No. 2-ranked T20I batter Tilak Varma staved off competition from Shreyas Iyer to retain his place in the squad. The side has also bulked up the core of the batting by including both Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube.

Jitesh Sharma makes a return to the T20I squad following a breakthrough 2025 IPL campaign, with KL Rahul missing out on a potential return after a prolific campaigns in the IPL and in England.

In terms of the pacers, Jasprit Bumrah will spearhead the bowling attack while Arshdeep Singh unsurprisingly retains his spot after being the leading wicket-taker for India in the format. Right-arm pacer Harshit Rana has been named to complete the pace bowling unit, as IPL 2025 Purple Cap winner Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj miss out. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy are the frontline spinners in the setup.

Team India squad for 2025 Asia Cup

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

Stand by players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag

Team India drawn in Group A of 2025 Asia Cup

The Men in Blue will kickstart their title defence with a group stage clash against the UAE on September 10. Their high-profile clash against Pakistan is set for September 14, while their final group game against Oman will take place on September 19.

The group stage will be followed by the Super 4 stage, where the top two teams from each group will play in a round-robin format. The top two members of the Super 4 will play each other in the final for the trophy.