New Delhi [India], August 19 : Following the announcement of India's Asia Cup squad, former Indian cricketer Madan Lal felt surprised that opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is not in the 15-member team.
Team India for the Asia Cup 2025 was unveiled on Tuesday, with skipper Suryakumar leading the squad and Shubman Gill as his deputy, with several prominent names missing out.
He praised Gill for his recent performance and said he may play in all three formats.
India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
"Sometimes you feel surprised that a player like Yashasvi Jaiswal is not in the team. Gill is a good choice as he is performing well. In the coming time, it is possible that Gill will play in all three formats...The players who make the team win a match must not be left out. We have such a good team that we may win the Asia Cup," Madan Lal told ANI.
The squad was announced during a press conference attended by T20I skipper Suryakumar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, which was held after a selection meeting which also featured the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia.
Gill, who was the captain for the T20I tour to Zimbabwe just after the T20 WC, was leading a side which mainly featured newer players, and will now play his first T20I competition since July 2024 as a vice-captain.
In 21 T20Is, Gill has made 578 runs in 21 innings at an average of 30.42, with a strike rate of 139.27. He has scored a century and three fifties, with the best score of 126*.
Jaiswal has been named in the reserve players for the Asia Cup. Jaiswal was the backup opener ahead of Gill for the T20 World Cup last year. He was the backup as India wanted to open with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Having made 723 runs in 23 T20Is with a century and five fifties at a strike rate of over 164 throughout his career, Jaiswal's 559-run IPL 2025 season (in 14 matches with six fifties at SR of almost 160) brought back the leftie into T20I conversations.