The excitement of India’s Test victory over England is still fresh in the minds of millions of fans and is expected to last for a long time. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have already shifted their attention to selecting the Indian team for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which will be held in the UAE this September.
India and Pakistan may face each other up to three times during this tournament, making it a high-stakes event. The Asia Cup will also mark the beginning of India’s preparation for the next T20 World Cup. The squad announcement is expected between August 21 and 25, but before that, the selectors must answer four big questions.
First, if Suryakumar Yadav is not fit, who will be the captain? Suryakumar has led the Indian T20 team exceptionally well, but he is currently recovering from a hernia surgery and is going through rehabilitation. His availability for the Asia Cup depends on how quickly he recovers. If he doesn’t make it, the selectors need to choose a new captain. Axar Patel was the vice-captain in the previous T20I series, but Shubman Gill is now the designated white-ball vice-captain. Since Gill has also become the red-ball captain, he is now the frontrunner to lead the team in Suryakumar’s absence.
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Second, if Sai Sudharsan is selected, who will be left out? The current selection policy under Agarkar and Gambhir rewards consistent domestic performers. Karun Nair’s recent recall was part of this approach. Sai Sudharsan was the highest run scorer in IPL 2025, scoring 759 runs at an average of 54.21 and a strike rate of 156.17. Although he was in the squad for the Zimbabwe series, he didn’t get a chance to debut. Now the selectors have to figure out who will make way if Sudharsan is picked.
Third, will Sanju Samson be part of the squad? This remains a key question. Despite struggling with injuries during the IPL, Samson has shown glimpses of brilliance. In the last two years, he has scored three centuries and one half-century and maintained a strike rate of 167.07. However, his constant exclusion and re-entry into the squad have created uncertainty around his selection.
Fourth, seven wicketkeepers are currently in contention. These include Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Dhruv Jurel, Jitesh Sharma, and Prabhsimran Singh. Among them, Prabhsimran has been a standout performer, scoring 819 runs in the past 12 months, just behind Samson who has 838 runs. He impressed with multiple innings for Punjab Kings in the IPL. The competition is extremely tight, and it will be interesting to see which two wicketkeepers are selected for the Asia Cup. There’s also a possibility that one of them could be picked as a specialist batter.