When you remove and replace every component of an object, does it, at some point, stop being the original thing?
This is a thought experiment, and the Indian team may find itself wrestling with it, at least until they’re forced to fill the boots of those who’ve left. The last multinational T20 tournament was won by India, but is this the same Indian team that will line up for their first Asia Cup game in a week? And if not, is it fair to expect them to carry forward a legacy built when most of them weren’t even there?
Whatever the answer, it’s ultimately inconsequential. Equally inconsequential is the fact that this will be Suryakumar Yadav’s first tournament as captain, or that several in the likely XI have played only the IPL. The thought experiment may invite many answers, but in cricket, and especially Indian cricket, there’s only one that fits: dissent.
Squad Overview:
Moving things around to accommodate Gill
Shubman Gill returned to the Indian T20I squad, and as a vice-captain no less, which sort of warrants him a spot. Gill had a tremendous season with the Gujarat Titans (GT) as an opener. Tremendous might not be doing the job aptly enough here, because Gill wouldn’t otherwise have been in the mix for the tournament, given his struggles with quick run-scoring in T20Is.
But here’s where things get interesting. India hasn’t played any T20Is since February. This means the IPL is the only yardstick they have for selection, though not without the fear that IPL returns might not adequately translate to similar brilliance in international cricket. That puts Gill’s form in more unknown territory, and not in a way he would like.
If you were a selector, which thank the creator you are not, where would you rather have a weak link, with due respect to Gill, bat at? The sane choice would be to have him come in as early as possible. The saner choice would be to send him as an opener. India could do that, and pair right-handed Gill with left-handed Abhishek Sharma, whose ability to bowl a couple of overs gives him the edge to get a place in the XI.
But that will take some heart to do because this gets Sanju Samson as collateral. He has opened regularly (more regularly than he ever has in his decade-long career) for India since the 2024 T20 World Cup. But injuries not only marred his IPL this year, they also made popular the notion that Samson, in both of his roles as a batter and keeper, can be replaced.
A Flexible middle-order
Samson still has some chance of coming in at the first drop, but India would rather not fix what’s not broken with Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav very handy at No. 3 and No. 4. They could hand Jitesh Sharma the gloves, who had an average of 37 with a 176 strike rate in the IPL, and is a certain starter in the middle order. Sharma, along with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, could form a flexible Nos. 5 to 7.
That brings into question, the No. 8 spot. India, under Gambhir, have been aiming for deepening the batting order, but not at the expense of an extra bowler. Axar Patel is the perfect solution for it, but he is preoccupied with shouldering the middle order. Surprisingly, India didn’t rope in many such options into the squad. Players like Vipraj Nigam, who resembles the X-factor India needs the most, having proved it in the IPL this year, or even Ramandeep Singh, who, though he didn’t bowl this season, has the skills to throw in a few overs as well as bat in the lower order.
Rinku Singh, from the squad India named, seems the nearest they can get to the type. His reputation as a finisher gets him the pass, having undertaken such duties for both the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and India. While he might not be the go-to bowling option, he has a handful of wickets in international cricket with his off-spin. And to top it all off, he is an incredible fielder in the deep.
Varun or Kuldeep or both?
Varun Chakravarthy wouldn’t have been an option here, had it not been for his T20I outings against England in January-February, when he was filling in for the then-injured Kuldeep Yadav. He had a breakout series, taking 14 wickets across five games, and earned a call-up to the Champions Trophy, which was in the UAE as well. He grabbed 9 wickets in just three games, outshining even Kuldeep. India can’t afford to play both unless the UAE dishes out a raging turner, in which case sacrificing a pacer won’t be a bad bargain.
Who bowls the new ball?
India have named three specialist pacers in the squad: Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, and Harshit Rana, who was named ahead of the IPL’s highest wicket-getter, Prasidh Krishna. With Pandya already a certainty, India do not need more than two from the list, at least not at the start of the tournament when surfaces would be less flat than, potentially, in the later stages. Arshdeep and Bumrah are a no-brainer, with the former taking the new ball. This will leave India with a choice of bringing Rana in place of Bumrah to manage his workload.
India’s squad for the Asia Cup
Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson
Reserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal
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