‘It appears to be a balanced team’: Maninder Singh on India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad

NEW DELHI: Reacting to the announcement of India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025, former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh praised the team composition but felt that young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal deserved a place in the side.

“It appears to be a balanced team,” Maninder said.

“I think Jaiswal should have been in the team because he is a player who adapts himself to all formats,” he added.

The former India cricketer, however, expressed no surprise over Shubman Gill’s selection, calling him an integral part of the setup.

#WATCH | On announcement of India squad for Asia Cup 2025, former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh says, “It appears to be a balanced team. I think Jaiswal should have been in the team because he is a player who adapts himself to all formats…I would have been surprised if… pic.twitter.com/RTPOQcWmct

— ANI (@ANI) August 19, 2025

“I would have been surprised if Shubman Gill was not included in the team,” he added.

India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for the September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.

Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku SinghReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal. (ANI)