Shubman Gill In Asia Cup Squad: It was a homecoming for swashbuckling batter Shubman Gill in the T20I setup as Team India named their 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup on Tuesday. The recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar trophy in which Gill showcased his 'Bradmanesque' form, worked wonders for him as he will also be the vice-captain of the squad. Chairman of the Senior Selection Committee, Ajit Agarkar and current captain Suryakumar Yadav expressed delight on his return to the side.

Suryakumar, who got a new deputy in the form of Gill, stated that the 25-year-old didn't get many opportunities after the Sri Lanka tour.

“Last time when he played T20 post the World Cup, when we went to Sri Lanka, he was vice-captain. That’s where we started a new cycle for T20WC. After that we got busy with Test cricket, and he didn’t get opportunities. We’re happy to have him,” said captain Suryakumar Yadav.

Agarkar also made it clear that Gill exceeded everyone's expectation in the England series which led to his selection.

Also Read: India Squad Announcement For Asia Cup Updates

"Gill's form in England was something we expected but he exceeded it all," chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference here.

Shubman Gill to open?

While answering the question, Agarkar made it clear that he is very likely to open the batting alongside Abhishek Sharma. That also means wicketkeeper batter Sanju Samson is not a certainty in the XI. However, the chief selector that the captain and team management will take a final call.

"Shubman Gill and Sanju Samson - two very good opening options to have alongside Abhishek Sharma. They'll take a call in Dubai [on who plays in the XI]," says Ajit Agarkar.

India is placed in Group A of the Asia Cup alongside Pakistan, Oman, and UAE.

Also Read: India's Asia Cup full squad - additions and omissions

India squad for Asia Cup:

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.

Standby players: Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel