Shreyas Iyer and Jitesh Sharma are poised for inclusion in India’s T20I roster for the forthcoming Asia Cup, scheduled to unfold in the UAE from September 9 through September 28.
The senior national men’s panel will convene in Mumbai on August 19 to ratify the final squad ahead of the tournament. Both athletes have not featured in the T20I arena since Gautam Gambhir’s appointment as head coach in July 2024.
Iyer’s most recent T20I outing occurred in December 2023, and wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma last represented the side in January 2024. Insider reports have indicated to The Hindu that the selection committee is weighing Iyer’s proficiency in anchoring the middle order, particularly with the abrasive conditions anticipated in the UAE.
Should Iyer secure a berth, the middle-order selection may see contention between left-handed batsman Shivam Dube and counterpart Rinku Singh, each of whom was included in India’s preceding T20I contingent against England earlier this season.
Shreyas Iyer’s IPL 2025 campaign was exceptional, amassing 604 runs at an average of 50.33 for the Punjab Kings, who finished the season as runners-up. His tally included six half-centuries and 39 sixes, the highest by a skipper in any single season, while he maintained an impressive strike rate of 175.07, ranking third for batters scoring 600-plus runs.
Meanwhile, wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma, who turned out for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, also caught the selectors’ attention and is anticipated to succeed Dhruv Jurel in the national limited-overs set-up.
On the leadership front, T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is expected to attend the impending selectors’ meeting. Yadav, who recently underwent successful sports hernia surgery at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, is believed to have passed the fitness benchmarks set by the board.
The forthcoming announcement of the India squad will serve as a pivotal milestone in the national side’s preparatory phase for the Asia Cup, further combining proven experience with the IPL form demonstrated in the recently concluded tournament.
