Who Will Be India Openers At Asia Cup 2025: The inclusion of Shubman Gill in India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 both complexified and simplified matters as far as the playing XI is concerned, at least from an outside view.
The BCCI announced India’s 15-man squad for the Asia Cup—though the tournament’s guidelines allow teams to name 17-member squads, as Pakistan did—and it included three opening options: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson.
The selectors left out Yashasvi Jaiswal, which would have made four opening options, a surplus for any white-ball squad.
Gill and Jaiswal last played a T20I for India in July 2024 in Sri Lanka, right after the T20 World Cup, which India won. Gill captained India in Zimbabwe and was named the vice-captain for both ODIs and T20Is in July 2024 for the tour of Sri Lanka.
However, he hasn’t played T20Is since then because Tests and ODIs were prioritized in the intervening period, during which he also received the Test captaincy and produced a stellar batting show in the IPL 2025 and in the Test series in England.
In their absence, Abhishek and Samson got opportunities and performed brilliantly. Since August 2024, Samson has scored the most T20I runs for India and Abhishek the third-most. And they batted with authority under India’s new aggressive tempo: Samson had a strike rate of 183 and Abhishek 200.
It seemed that Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson had cemented their spots as openers in India’s T20I team. However, now that Gill has returned and the fact that he has been named the vice-captain, it is all but certain for Gill to play in India’s first-choice XI in the Asia Cup. This would force one of the other two either out of the team or bat out of their preferred position.
Interestingly, while Gill is said to be the incumbent and is set to walk into the XI after a big gap, Jaiswal is not part of the 15-man squad; Jaiswal, curiously, was part of the squad that won the T20 World Cup, whereas Gill was a reserve.
It is clear that the selectors are grooming Gill as an all-format captain, and hence, he has been picked as the vice-captain for the Asia Cup, which would make him a certainty in the XI.
So who would be Gill’s opening partner? Chief selector Ajit Agarkar gave a huge tacit hint when pointing out Abhishek Sharma’s all-round skillset: “With Abhishek Sharma… what he has done over the last few months or a year or so that he has been with the team, plus that he can bowl a little bit. (That) gives us some options if required by the captain.”
Who Will Be India Openers At Asia Cup 2025?
With Abhishek being a left-handed explosive batsman who would complement Gill’s steady right-handed batting and also being a handy spin option, the Punjab cricketer is likely to get the nod over Samson as the opener in the Asia Cup.
Jitesh Sharma is the second wicket-keeper in the squad, and given his form as a finisher for RCB in IPL 2025, India can dispense with Samson on the bench.
So, right now, it is looking very likely that Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will be India’s openers in the Asia Cup 2025.
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