Jasprit Bumrah is expected to play in the Asia Cup, while Shubman Gill and Axar Patel vie for the vice-captaincy in a squad selection that promises to be challenging for Indian selectors.
Jasprit Bumrah is set to participate in the upcoming Asia Cup T20 tournament, scheduled to take place in the UAE next month. However, there are indications that he may be rested for the opening Test against the West Indies in early October.
Shubman Gill has emerged as a standout player following his impressive performance in the recent Test series against England. He is now in contention for the vice-captaincy of the Indian squad, facing competition from Axar Patel. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to finalize the squad for the Asia Cup on August 19 or 20, contingent upon the medical updates from the Centre of Excellence’s Sports Science team regarding all players, including skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who has resumed batting practice in Bengaluru.
The selection process is anticipated to involve some challenging decisions. However, the Indian selectors are likely to prioritize maintaining continuity, a strategy that has yielded significant success since Suryakumar took over as T20 captain.
During India’s last series against England at home, Axar was appointed as the designated vice-captain. Conversely, Gill served as the deputy when Suryakumar was first named the full-time skipper of the T20 squad during the tour of Sri Lanka last year.
It is understood that the selection committee is hesitant to make significant changes to the current setup, as the top five players—Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya—have formed a solid foundation for the team.
A BCCI source familiar with the developments remarked, “Abhishek Sharma is the world’s No. 1 T20 batter in the latest ICC rankings. Sanju Samson has been outstanding in the last season with both bat and gloves. It will certainly be a tough call, but Shubman in his current form, despite playing in Tests, cannot be overlooked. He also had a strong IPL season. The challenge for selectors is the abundance of performers at the top of the order.”
With numerous players excelling in the top order, finding a place for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan could prove difficult. Even KL Rahul, who is currently the first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, is unlikely to be considered for the middle-order batting position.
In terms of wicketkeeping, while Sanju Samson is almost certain to be the first-choice keeper, the competition for the second keeper’s slot will be between Jitesh Sharma and Dhruv Jurel. Jurel participated in the last T20 series, while Jitesh made a significant impact during the IPL with RCB, excelling in the role of a finisher.
As for the all-rounders, Hardik Pandya remains India’s preferred white-ball seam bowling all-rounder. However, Nitish Kumar Reddy, who sustained an injury during the England series, is unlikely to recover in time. Shivam Dube, who made a commendable return against England, is expected to secure a place in the squad.
Axar Patel and Washington Sundar are likely to be the other two spin-bowling all-rounders included in the squad.
The selection of the third seamer is another point of contention. With Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh having secured their spots, the competition for the third slot is between Prasidh Krishna, who took 25 wickets in the last IPL, and the formidable Harshit Rana, known for his ability to deliver heavy deliveries.
As the squad selection approaches, the likely contenders for the team include Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Verma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and either Harshit Rana or Prasidh Krishna, along with Jitesh Sharma or Dhruv Jurel.
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