Shubman Gill hype crushed as Suryakumar Yadav to stay T20I captain; Jaiswal, Iyer’s Asia Cup fate revealed: Report

The entire narrative around Shubman Gill and his potential return to the T20I fold as captain for the upcoming Asia Cup has been crushed. A fresh media report revealed that the BCCI selection committee is likely to stick with Suryakumar Yadav as captain. The continental tournament is set to begin on September 9 in the UAE. Shubman Gill unlikely to make Asia Cup squad(AP-AFP-PTI)

According to a report in the Times of India, the Asia Cup squad will be announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar at a press conference in Mumbai on August 19, following a selection committee meeting.

"Yes, the team for the Asia Cup will be picked on August 19 in Mumbai. The selection committee meeting will be followed by a press conference by chief selector, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar," a source told the newspaper.

The report also mentioned that incumbent T20I skipper Suryakumar will attend the meeting in Mumbai. The star batter is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, recovering from sports hernia surgery. In a recent update, Suryakumar has already resumed training in the nets at the CoE.

Why was Gill's name in speculation for leadership?

The report further quashed the much-speculated notion that Gill would be named India’s new T20I captain following his heroics on the tour of England. In his maiden assignment as India Test captain, he led the young team to a stunning 2-2 draw, scoring a record 754 runs in 10 innings during the five-match series.

While his performance prompted experts to back Gill as India’s next all-format captain, the report confirmed that Suryakumar will retain the captaincy. In fact, it revealed that the 25-year-old may not even make the squad, with selectors set to continue with the current opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

It also added that Yashasvi Jaiswal has been asked to focus on red-ball cricket and hence will likely miss the Asia Cup, while Shreyas Iyer is expected to be overlooked despite his improved performance in the IPL earlier this year.

"In fact, with India intending to persist with the opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, Gill is currently struggling to even make the squad. Even Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a strong series in England, and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer are likely to be left out. Jaiswal has been advised by the selectors to concentrate on red-ball cricket," a source revealed.

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