Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain of India’s 15-member T20I squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, marking his return to the shortest format. He replaces Axar Patel in the leadership group, with Suryakumar Yadav continuing as captain.
The squad was announced by the selection committee on Tuesday, with India set to begin their campaign against UAE in Dubai on 10 September, followed by clashes against Pakistan (14 Sept) and Oman (19 Sept).
Gill’s return comes on the back of his stellar form across formats. He was instrumental in India’s Champions Trophy triumph earlier this year and topped the run charts in the England Test series, scoring 650 runs. He also amassed 650 runs at a strike rate of 155.87 for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025.
Gill had last featured in a T20I series in July 2024 in Sri Lanka as vice-captain, but had since been rested for T20Is to manage workload across Test and ODI formats.
The squad features a mix of youth and experience, with Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson likely to compete with Gill for opening roles. However, with the vice-captaincy, Gill is expected to be the first-choice opener.
This marks India’s first T20I assignment since their home series against England in January. With several younger players stepping up and senior stars in transition, the Asia Cup will be a key test in the lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.
India’s Asia Cup T20I squad:
-
Suryakumar Yadav (capt)
-
Shubman Gill (vc)
-
Hardik Pandya
-
Arshdeep Singh
-
Abhishek Sharma
-
Tilak Varma
-
Shivam Dube
-
Axar Patel
-
Jitesh Sharma
-
Jasprit Bumrah
-
Varun Chakravarthy
-
Kuldeep Yadav
-
Harshit Rana
-
Rinku Singh
-
Sanju Samson