Abhishek Nayar, a former assistant coach, offered his opinions on the Indian team’s lineup for the 2025 ACC Men’s Asia Cup, sparking a great deal of discussion. The team highlights Shubman Gill’s return to the T20I lineup. In the shortest format, the young player, who is now India’s Test skipper, has been named vice-captain. He gave insight into the selectors’ thinking, and Gill appeared to be a future all-format captain.
This team announcement gives you an idea of the selectors’ attitude. With Shubman’s pick, they are sort of preparing him to become an all-format captain in due time. Fantastic player, excellent pick. I have no doubt that he will adopt an aggressive mindset and take that stance. And I think Shubman Gill’s life will be quite intriguing over the next 12 months,” Abhishek Nayar stated on JioHotstar.
Notably. Over the previous year, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson have been a productive starting duo, and Tilak Varma has performed admirably at No. 3. The management must, however, figure out how to accommodate Gill without upsetting the hierarchy. After a successful tenure as a Test captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, former opener Aakash Chopra also shared his thoughts on Gill’s participation in the team.
“India appears to be heading towards an all-format captain. Sanju Samson’s destiny has essentially been decided with Shubman Gill’s return; he will no longer be included in the starting lineup. Samson will be left out since you won’t be dropping Tilak Varma or Hardik Pandya, and Jitesh Sharma will probably be selected once more. This pick makes it abundantly evident that batting spots have taken precedence over personality. He will undoubtedly play and open the batting with Gill taking over as vice captain. Sanju Samson is effectively forced out of the starting lineup by this,” Chopra stated.
The selectors’ plan does not include Shreyas Iyer: Abhishek Nayar
Additionally, the squad announcement’s main talking point was Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion. Iyer led Punjab Kings to the final and scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 during his incredible IPL 2025 campaign, yet he was left out of the main squad and the reserves as well. The Mumbai batter is no longer part of the selectors’ plan, according to the former assistant coach.
“What justification there is for Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from the 20-member squad is beyond my comprehension. The 20 alone, not even the final 15, makes it very evident that Shreyas Iyer is not in the selectors’ plans, at least not from a Twenty20 standpoint,” Abhishek Nayar continued.
The comeback of star pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been closely watched since injuries prevented him from playing limited-overs cricket and limited to three of the five Test matches in the England series, was another topic Abhishek Nayar covered.
“Everyone must realise that Bumrah is a valuable resource. It is important to honour him since he makes the difference between winning and losing a championship. His body and workload must be respected because it has a significant influence when he is absent from important games. No one is more aware of the scheme than Bumrah himself. He may tell the team management and selectors what his body can withstand because he will be the greatest judge of that. “After spending time with him and getting to know him, I can tell you that nothing is more important to him than doing well and winning titles for India,” Abhishek Nayar said.
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