A huge recall is made to the middle order as the Indian T20I team takes shape towards the Asia Cup 2025. Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer will join the team in a report in Sportstar with Test captain Shubman Gill and star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal being omitted.
Iyer’s Middle-Order Recall
The other T20I Indian, Iyer who will play against Australia on December 3, 2023, in Bengaluru will be in between the orders. He is the top run-scorer of India in the champions trophy 2025, having scored 243 runs in five matches he played at Dubai. Asia Cup 2025 is to be held in the period September 9-28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The team management and selectors are in agreement to include a middle-order batter who is used to the slower, lower conditions that are likely to be seen in the UAE. In case Shreyas is selected, it may mean a difficult choice between Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, who both featured in India T20I task, against England in January, the report concluded.
Iyer’s Form and IPL Success
The year 2025 IPL has been his best in terms of scoring 604 runs in Punjab Kings. His tally of 1,104 runs in 51 T20Is, makes him a middle order anchor. It will also assist in making India batting order strong in the Asia cup since he has been exposed to high tension games.
Moreover, RCB wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma will be the deputy of Sanju Samson in the tournament. India will take part in the last T20I match against Afghanistan on January 14, 2024, in Indore.
Gill and Jaiswal Snubbed
Their final T20I game was the one against the Sri Lankans in Pallekele on July 30, 2024, and Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were on the field. They have not been selected into the Asia Cup even after they showed good performances in IPL 2025. The present T20I core of Samson, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma are already doing the work on a regular basis and any ad-hoc decision is not feasible.
“The management appears inclined to stick with the core group that has excelled under Gambhir, winning 13 of 15 T20Is since his appointment,” the report stated, as it has been adhering to the current team.
Strategy Behind the Squad
There is no such time gap between formats, the Asia Cup final on September 28 and the opening Test against West Indies on October 2 in Ahmedabad, selectors are trying to work around workload. This exclusion of Gill and Jaiswal means that they will be fresh when they come back to the red-ball series, which balances India short-format and long-format aspirations.
Asia Cup 2025 will be a competitive cricket tournament and the availability of Iyer would enhance depth and stability to Indian batting. Meanwhile, the fact that Gill and Jaiswal are rotated is indicative of a conserative approach, as far as player management is concerned, going into a hectic international calendar.
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