Asia Cup 2025: Mohammad Kaif picks Shubman Gill as backup opener in India squad

With the Asia Cup 2025 fast approaching, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has shared his thoughts on who should represent India in the tournament. Kaif revealed both his playing XI and a 15-member squad, which also included four backup players. One of the interesting picks as a backup opener was that of Test captain Shubman Gill. 

The tournament is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28. Defending champions India will begin their campaign on September 10 against the UAE in Dubai. The Indian team is looking to stick to the opening combination of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, and Kaif is also thinking the same way.

“If we talk about the playing XI, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson will open. Tilak Varma will be No.3, followed by Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4 who will be the captain. Axar Patel will come in at No.5 and will also be the vice captain and he will be followed by Hardik Pandya at No.6. Shivam Dube will be at No.7, Washington Sundar will be at No.8. Kuldeep Yadav will be No.9, Arshdeep Singh will be no.10 and Jasprit Bumrah will be at No.11,” Kaif said on X.

“If I add 4 more names and talk about the squad, then Shubman Gill will be the back up opener and Jitesh Sharma will be the backup wicketkeeper. The other two players will be Varun Chakravarthy and Mohammed Siraj,” he added.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan are scheduled to face off on September 14, in what promises to be one of the most anticipated clashes of the Asia Cup 2025. India will conclude their group-stage fixtures with an encounter against Oman on September 19.

Although India are the designated hosts of the tournament, the entire competition will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), serving as a neutral venue. The entire tournament will be hosted across two venues - Abu Dhabi and Dubai. A total of eight teams will compete for continental glory, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, UAE, and Oman.

With just six months left for the T20 World Cup 2026, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, the Asia Cup will be played in the 20-over format this time round, as has been the norm. The last edition in 2023 was played in the ODI format as preparation for the 50-over World Cup held that year. India won the 2023 edition by defeating Sri Lanka in the finals in Colombo.