Gill, Siraj Likely to Miss Out on Asia Cup Squad Despite Strong Test Performances

In a surprising turn of events, star batter Shubman Gill and pacer Mohammed Siraj, two standout performers from India’s recent Test tour of England, are likely to miss out on selection for the upcoming Asia Cup squad. The Indian selectors are set to meet in Mumbai today to finalize the squad for the T20I tournament, scheduled to take place from September 9 to 28.

Despite Gill’s red-hot form in red-ball cricket—amassing over 750 runs in the five-match Test series, second only to Sunil Gavaskar’s historic tally—his place in the T20I squad is far from certain. Although the 25-year-old also scored a massive 650 runs in the IPL, those performances came as an opener. With the selectors expected to retain the current opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson, the door for Gill appears only partially open. Yashasvi Jaiswal is believed to be the frontrunner for the third opener’s slot, though there remains a possibility that neither Gill nor Jaiswal will make the final cut. Gill’s chances may depend on a strong endorsement from team mentor Gautam Gambhir.

In the middle-order, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh are all but confirmed, while the final batting spot could go to either Shivam Dube or Washington Sundar. Shreyas Iyer, who led the Punjab Kings to the IPL final, is reportedly on the fringes and may not be picked. Jitesh Sharma is expected to be included as the second wicketkeeper.

The bigger shock may be the omission of Mohammed Siraj, who was India's leading wicket-taker in the high-profile Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and has been widely lauded for his performances. However, with Jasprit Bumrah set to spearhead the attack, and Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, and Harshit Rana in contention, Siraj might find himself edged out. Hardik Pandya, who delivered under pressure in the T20 World Cup, is also expected to feature as an all-rounder.

Veteran seamer Mohammed Shami is unlikely to be considered, having not featured prominently in recent T20Is. Among spinners, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, and vice-captain Axar Patel are expected to retain their places, with Washington Sundar likely to be included depending on the balance of the squad.

The final squad announcement later today may spring a few surprises, especially given the selectors’ apparent preference for T20 specialists over recent Test and IPL heroes.