Mumbai: Test skipper Shubman Gill was Tuesday appointed as the vice-captain, while pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was also included in India’s 15-member T20 squad for the Asia Cup starting September 9 in the UAE.
Gill’s last T20 match was against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2024 and he has now replaced Axar Patel as the deputy of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
“Gill’s form in England was something we expected but he exceeded it all,” chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference in Mumbai.
There were some lingering doubts on Bumrah’s availability largely due to the proximity to the home Test series against the West Indies in October.
But the selectors opted to pick and this will be Bumrah’s first T20 tournament since last year’s World Cup.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav too has been drafted in, while Jitesh Sharma will be the back-up wicketkeeper batter.
Yashasvi Jaiswal was among the five standby players chosen by the selectors.
“It’s unfortunate Jaiswal has had to miss out but he will have to wait,” Agarkar said.
India is placed in Group A of the Asia Cup alongside Pakistan, Oman, and UAE.
India squad for Asia Cup:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
PTI
