The selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, may choose the Asia Cup team on 19 or 20 August. The date will depend on when the sports science team of the Center of Excellence (COE) sends the ‘medical bulletin’ of all players. This report will also include details about captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has started batting in the nets in Bengaluru.
The selection process will have some tricky decisions, but the selectors will likely keep the same approach that has given Suryakumar good success since he became T20 captain. For the Asia Cup, the names of four players, including captain Suryakumar, are almost confirmed. These players are Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, and Hardik Pandya.
Top 5 Players Confirmed for Asia Cup
The top five players for the Asia Cup 2025 are almost confirmed. They are Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya. On the other hand, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan may find it very difficult to get a place in the team. Even KL Rahul, who is the first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, is unlikely to be considered as he does not bat in the middle order.
Wicketkeeper Choices and Squad Updates
Sanju Samson is almost certain to be the first-choice wicketkeeper. The second spot may go to either Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel. Jurel was part of the last T20 series, while Jitesh impressed in RCB’s IPL-winning campaign and played well as a finisher.
Hardik Pandya remains the first-choice fast-bowling all-rounder. Nitish Kumar Reddy is unlikely to recover from injury in time, while Shivam Dube is likely to get a place after his good comeback against England. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are expected as spin-bowling all-rounders, with Kuldeep Yadav also in the mix. However, Yuzvendra Chahal’s selection seems unlikely.
Probable 18-member squad for Asia Cup 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana/Prasidh Krishna, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma/Dhruv Jurel.
