KL Rahul vs Sanju Samson for keeper's spot, no place for Parag

Asia Cup 2025: The tournament starts in September, and for now, there is no clarity on when the team will be announced.

The Indian team, for a change, won’t be playing any cricket for over a month now, after a grueling Test series vs England ended on Monday. Now, their next assignment happens to be the Asia Cup 2025, which will be played in the T20 format, that only begins in September. Of course, the team there would be led by Suryakumar Yadav, while Axar Patel would most likely be his deputy.

But it would be interesting to see, as to what all players make the cut eventually. That said, there is no clarity on when the squad for the Asia Cup 2025 will be announced. But InsideSport attempts form a 16-member squad, that could be picked for the tournament.

The Obvious Batters in Team India

Sanju Samson would definitely be the first choice of batters for India. He scored 285 in 9 outings at an average of 35, but then he just deserves a spot. It goes without saying, that Abhishek Sharma would be his opening partner, who is equally destructive if not more. In 14 matches this year in IPL, he had a strike-rate of 193.

Yashasvi Jaiswal, meanwhile could be India’s choice as a reserve opener, who could be utilised, if the need arises, in case of an injury. Other than that, Shubman Gill will be a certainty too, especially after a solid IPL — where he scored 650 runs in 15 matches.

Shreyas Iyer in? Tilak Varma’s Berth Confirmed

IPL changes certain things for sure, every year. Now, with 604 runs in 17 matches, Shreyas Iyer just can’t be ignored. He was instrumental in taking PBKS to their second final only. So, all that adds up too. Though he might not be a sure-shot starter in the XI. But then Tilak Varma will not only be in the squad, but is most likely to play all matches. He scored 343 runs this year.

The Misses

Despite having a decent IPL, and now a stellar Test series vs England, KL Rahul might just not make the cut. Sanju could be called the more flamboyant option, and the management might just go ahead with him. Spinner Ravi Bishnoi would be a miss too, as he only picked 9 wickets in 11 encounters in the league.

Rinku Singh too has hurt his chances with an ordinary season. He could score only 206 runs in 13 clashes for KKR. With the help of a few NOs, he averaged 29.

The Jitesh Sharma Comeback

Even though Sanju is there in the team, but the management might just go for Jitesh Sharma as the main keeper. After being ousted from the team some time back, he made a strong comeback through the IPL. For RCB, he produced his best-ever season, scoring 261 runs.

The All-rounders & Bowlers

The pick between all-rounders can be a difficult one. In the race will be Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar. Even though the latter is a proven performer for India, he just doesn’t get as many chances in the IPL. Yet, we would go with the GT man. No one can leave out Hardik Pandya from any team.

As for the other bowlers — Kuldeep Yadav is in. He sat out the entire England tour, but now, he is all but certain to play in the Asia Cup. Pace department could be led by Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, with left-hander Arshdeep Singh in the mix too.

Probable India Squad for Asia Cup 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Jitesh Sharma, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.

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