Asia Cup 2025: 7 Fresh Faces Included In India Squad For First Time
Asia Cup 2025 begins on September 9 in Dubai, with India starting their campaign against UAE on September 10.
Team India’s 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 has been finalized. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side, while Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain.
Senior pacer Jasprit Bumrah has also returned to the squad. Interestingly, as many as seven players have earned a maiden Asia Cup call-up this time.
7 First-Time Picks in Asia Cup Squad
The Asia Cup 2025 roster includes Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Varun Chakravarthy, all of whom will be featuring in the tournament for the first time.
Samson and Abhishek have impressed as openers in T20Is recently, while Rinku Singh has established himself as a dependable finisher in the shortest format.
Jitesh Sharma brings his explosive batting style in the lower order, and Varun Chakravarthy has already displayed his effectiveness in T20Is with his mystery spin. Young pacer Harshit Rana will also be under the spotlight as he makes his Asia Cup debut.
Key Fixtures for Team India
The Asia Cup begins on September 9 in Dubai, with India starting their campaign against UAE on September 10. The highly anticipated clash with Pakistan will take place on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium, followed by India’s final group-stage match against Oman on September 20.
Team India’s Squad for Asia Cup 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dubey, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Shreyas Iyer misses out on Asia Cup squad
Once considered the backbone of India’s batting lineup across formats, Shreyas Iyer now finds himself restricted to the ODI setup. Despite consistent performances in domestic cricket and franchise leagues, his name was missing from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, raising questions about his T20 future.
After being sidelined from the national team, Iyer piled up runs in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
He also contributed significantly in ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and followed it up with a strong IPL 2025 season. Still, the selectors have chosen to look beyond him, signaling that competition in India’s T20 batting unit remains fierce and Iyer has yet to convince the management of his role in the format.
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