Asia Cup 2025: Shreyas Iyer, Jitesh Sharma set to be in India squad

The star cricketer Shreyas Iyer and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma are likely to earn a recall to India’s T20I setup when the All India Men's Senior Selection Committee meets on Tuesday, August 19 to finalize the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The tournament, which will be held entirely in the UAE, starting September 9, is now poised to mark a return for the middle-order duo.

Shreyas and Jitesh have not featured in T20Is since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach in July 2024. The Mumbai batter last played a T20I in December 2023, while Jitesh, the stumper-batter based out of Vidarbha, made his final appearance in the Indore T20I in January 2024 during the home series against Afghanistan. Jitesh, however, is expected to be the second-choice wicketkeeper to Sanju Samson, who will open with Abhishek Sharma.

According to The Hindu, the selectors and team management are aligned on including an experienced middle-order batter suited to the slower conditions expected in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). If Shreyas is picked, it could result in a tough call between Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, both of whom were part of India’s last T20I squad against England in January-February.

Jitesh, who played a key role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title, is expected to replace Dhruv Jurel, who was the reserve wicketkeeper to Sanju Samson during the England series.

Selectors keen on getting Jasprit Bumrah in

The selectors also need to decide whether to include right-arm pacer Jasprit Bumrah. With Mohammed Shami unavailable due to his commitments with the East Zone squad for the impending Duleep Trophy 2025, a pacer’s slot is open, raising the debate between recalling Bumrah or giving Prasidh Krishna a chance after a strong IPL campaign, where he was the Purple Cap holder.

Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, who has recovered from a sports hernia, is expected to attend the selection meeting where his input will be crucial as the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel is also looking to build a squad keeping in mind the home Men's T20 World Cup in 2026, which India will co-host alongside neighbours Sri Lanka.

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There has been speculation about the return of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal to the T20I squad. However, management appears inclined to stick with the core group that has excelled under Gambhir, winning 13 of 15 T20Is since his appointment. With minimal turnaround between formats, the Asia Cup final on September 28 and the first Test against West Indies on October 2 in Ahmedabad, the selectors are likely to keep Gill and Jaiswal fresh for red-ball assignments.