Suryakumar Yadav breaks silence after Shubman Gill reinstated as vice-captain for Asia Cup: ‘The last time he played…'
On Tuesday, the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav addressed the media, where they spoke about bringing Shubman Gill back into the mix in the shortest format of the game.
Speaking to the media, Suryakumar Yadav said that Shubman Gill was the vice-captain when India went to Sri Lanka for the T20I series. Stating how a new cycle was started after India's T20 World Cup 2024, the management opted to bring back Gill.
'In my opinion, the last time Shubman Gill played a T20I for India was when we went to Sri Lanka. When I was leading, he was the vice-captain. That's where we started the new cycle for the T20 World Cup. After that, he got busy with all the Test series. He didn't get an opportunity to play T20Is because he was busy with Test cricket and the Champions Trophy,' Suryakumar Yadav told reporters.
'He is in the squad and we are happy to have him. This is the first big tournament we are playing after the T20 World Cup. We played a few bilaterals, but this is a good tournament to test ourselves. There are a lot of T20S before we play the first game of the T20 World Cup. This is where the journey starts for the tournament,' he added.
Shubman Gill has steadily built an impressive T20 resume, showcasing both consistency and flair. In 21 T20 Internationals, he has scored 578 runs at an average of 30.42 and a healthy strike rate of 139.27, including one century and three fifties.
His ability to anchor and accelerate was further highlighted in IPL 2025, where he amassed 650 runs in 15 innings at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 155.87, with six fifties. Notably, Gill is among the select few Indians with centuries across all three international formats.
Also Read: India Asia Cup 2025 Squad Announcement LIVE: Ajit Agarkar reveals 15-member unit, Shubman Gill named vice-captain
However, considering the Asia Cup's stature, this was the first time that all marquee players were made available for selection. It must be mentioned that the Asia Cup final is slated to be played on September 28. And just three days later, India are scheduled to face the West Indies in the first Test on October 2.
What is India's squad for the Asia Cup?
There is no place for Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the main squad. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side with Shubman acting as his deputy. Rinku Singh and Tilak Varma have retained their place in the squad.
The selectors have also named five standbys for the Asia Cup. Yashasvi Jaiswal is a part of the standby list.
India Asia Cup 2025 Squad List: Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Rinku Singh.
Standbys: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Axar Patel deserves an explanation for removal from vice-captaincy': Ex-India star slams decision
Axar Patel (BCCI Photo) NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer and commentator Mohammad Kaif has raised concerns over Axar Patel losing the vice-captaincy of the Indian T20I side, with Shubman Gill taking over the role. Patel, who was named deputy to Suryakumar Yadav for the five-match series against England earlier this year, was replaced following Gill's return to T20Is after a year-long absence. Taking to social media, Kaif questioned the manner in which the change was handled. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "I hope Axar Patel was informed about his removal from vice-captaincy in advance and he didn't come to know about it from the press conference. Axar did no wrong so he deserves an explanation," Kaif posted. Patel has cemented his place as a dependable all-rounder across formats, making key contributions in India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph. He was named Player of the Match in the semi-final against England for his spell of 3/23. In the final against South Africa, Patel played another pivotal role, scoring 47 off 31 balls when India were reeling at 34/3, and later dismissing Tristan Stubbs to tilt the game in India's favor. Overall, Patel's T20I record highlights his consistency — 531 runs at a strike rate of 139.32, along with 71 wickets at an average of 22.12 from 71 matches. India Asia Cup squad press conference: What Ajit Agarkar, Surya said on shocking calls For the upcoming Asia Cup , India's selectors have included two other spinners, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy, in the squad. Among the notable exclusions are Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal. India will open their Asia Cup campaign against hosts UAE on September 10. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hindustan Times
35 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
England expects at Women's Rugby World Cup
Tournament hosts England head into the Women's Rugby World Cup as strong favourites but are under huge pressure to end more than 20 years of disappointment in the sport's showpiece event. England expects at Women's Rugby World Cup The Red Roses have lost only once in their past 58 matches a defeat by New Zealand in the Covid-delayed 2022 World Cup final. England, however, have finished runners-up in five of the last six World Cup finals to New Zealand, with the 2014 edition providing their most recent global 15-a-side title. In a bid to help them take the final step to global glory, they appointed New Zealand's John Mitchell as their coach in 2023. The problems facing the England team are similar to the ones Mitchell encountered as coach of the men's All Blacks when he was unable to steer them to World Cup triumph at the 2003 edition. "He'll tell you straight if you're getting something wrong and he wants the best for you," England full-back Ellie Kildunne told AFP in an interview. That England nearly blew a 31-7 lead against France in the final match of their seventh successive Six Nations title-winning campaign in April before edging home 43-42 may have been a blessing in disguise. New Zealand's Black Ferns will look to dash English hopes once again, with Portia Woodman-Wickliffe looking to go out on a high in what promises to be the 34-year-old wing's last major tournament. Already both a two-time World Cup-winner and twice an Olympic Sevens gold medallist, most recently at last year's Paris Games, Woodman-Wickliffe told AFP: "This World Cup was never on my agenda, I never really planned to go to it. "But I thought I'm still enjoying XVs, why not give this a crack. If I don't make it fine, it's cool. But if I do make it, then it will be one last ride." Canada, who recently held New Zealand, remain the biggest threat to the Black Ferns and the Red Roses, in a tournament featuring an expanded 16 teams, with the top two in each of the four pools qualifying for the quarter-finals. Ireland, who failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, have been drawn in the same pool as New Zealand a team they beat in last year's WXV tournament, introduced to raise the overall standard of the women's game, in a shock upset. But for officials this World Cup is also about growing the game in all aspects, on and off the field. England open the event against the United States in Sunderland on Friday, with the visitors boasting a breakout social media star in Ilona Maher. The 29-year-old American has attracted over eight million followers, not only through her sporting exploits but also for her promotion of body positivity. Even before the first whistle has been blown, this Women's World Cup has set records, with Brazil the first South American side to feature in the tournament's 34-year history. Meanwhile, organisers said Tuesday they expected the September 27 final at Twickenham to feature a sell-out crowd of over 80,000 a record for any women's rugby match. The existing record for a women's 15-a-side fixture is 58,498, set as England clinched the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam by beating France 38-33 at Twickenham, with 66,000 attending the opening day of the women's Rugby Sevens at last year's Paris Olympics. Officials also announced that more than 375,000 tickets have been sold across all 32 matches at this World Cup. "We're ready to break records in attendances, viewership and engagement," tournament director Sarah Massey said during Tuesday's launch event at Twickenham. "This is going to be the biggest global celebration of women's rugby that we have ever seen." And for the first time there will be three women head coaches in Gaelle Mignot , Jo Yapp and Lesley McKenzie at a Women's Rugby World Cup. But while England are fully professional, many of their rivals are still only semi-professional or even amateur, with the BBC reporting more than half of Scotland's squad fear being left without a professional deal after the World Cup. "There is no doubt that we will have teams at a different stage of their professional development and that will reflect in some of the scorelines," said World Rugby Chief of Women's Rugby, Sally Horrox, at Tuesday's launch. But she added the launch of the WXV tournament in 2023 had led to "a raising of standards and a narrowing in terms of competitive margins". jdg/nf This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Shubman Gill over Axar Patel: The real reason behind India's vice-captaincy shake-up for Asia Cup 2025
NEW DELHI: India's Test skipper has been named vice-captain in India's 15-member squad for the Asia Cup 2025 T20I tournament, to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28. The appointment comes more than two years after Gill's last T20I outing in July 2023, when he had also served as deputy to . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked about Gill being chosen ahead of , who had been vice-captain in Gill's absence. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "The last time he played T20Is for India was when we went to Sri Lanka after the T20 World Cup, not Zimbabwe. I was leading, he was vice-captain, and that's where we started the new cycle for T20 World Cup. After that, he got busy with all the Test series. So, he didn't get the opportunity to play anywhere in T20Is as he got busy playing Test cricket, as well as the Champions Trophy. So, he is there in the squad and they are happy to have him," Suryakumar said at the press conference. Gill's elevation comes on the back of a promising start as India's Test captain during the recent series against England. The eight-team Asia Cup will be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Defending champions India are drawn in Group 'A' alongside Pakistan, Oman and the UAE. Poll Do you agree with Shubman Gill's appointment as vice-captain for the Asia Cup 2025? Yes, he deserves it No, prefer Axar Patel Unsure Other reasons India will open their campaign against hosts UAE on September 10, before facing arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14 in a marquee clash. Asia Cup 2025: India Squad Announced | Surya Named Captain, Gill Vice-Captain Following the Asia Cup, India are scheduled to play 15 more T20Is in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February 2026. India squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, , Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh. Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
