Former legendary Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has backed Shubman Gill’s selection for the Asia Cup 2025 and also him being named as India’s vice-captain.
The BCCI announced India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad on Tuesday, keeping the core very much the same that won the T20 World Cup 2025. The big names missing are the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
With Gill’s selection, it now looks like he will open with Abhishek who is seen as Rohit’s potential replacement and Tilak Varma at number three who is seen as Kohli’s replacement. That leaves Sanju Samson in a tricky position as his inclusion in the playing XI remains unclear.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: “Happy To Have Him” - Suryakumar Yadav On Vice-Captain Shubman Gill
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Clear Sign That He Will Become T20I Captain In Future - Sunil Gavaskar On Shubman Gill
Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar in a conversation with India Today, backed Shubman Gill’s selection, saying that he was not surprised by seeing Gill’s name in the squad.
"Not surprising at all. He (Shubman Gill) scored over 750 runs just a couple of weeks ago. "You cannot exclude a player in that kind of form. Also, he has done really well in the IPL, which concluded just before the tour to England” Gavaskar told India Today.
He further predicted that Gill will eventually become the next T20I skipper for India and his appointment as vice-captain is an indication of that.
"It's a very good inclusion. Giving him the vice-captaincy is also a way of telling him that in the future, he could be leading the T20 side. I think it’s a very, very good selection. "He was very impressive in England. To score 750-plus runs while leading the side for the first time shows how well he handled pressure. This vice-captaincy is a clear sign that he is going to be the captain of the Indian team as well. It's always good to have him take responsibility just a little bit earlier,” Gavaskar said” he added.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: “We Want Him Available For Big Games” - Ajit Agarkar On Jasprit Bumrah
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Gavaskar Denies Commenting On Players Missing
The former Indian skipper denied commenting on players who have been axed from the squad, saying that this team picked by the selectors should be backed.
"You can only pick XI in the match and you can only pick 15 in the squad. Somebody has to miss out; that's just how it is in Indian cricket. No point in discussing whether A or B or C should've been there. This is now our team. We can all have our opinions before the selection committee picks the team, but once the team is picked, we should back it fully. We shouldn't be saying A should've been there or B should've been there. That only creates controversy, which the players don't need” Gavaskar said.
India’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign starts from September 10 against UAE, followed by the big clash against Pakistan on September 14. India play all their matches in Dubai.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: No Yashasvi Jaiswal & Shreyas Iyer in the Continental Cup; Check out players missed
