Why was Shubham Gill suddenly picked?”: Kris Srikkanth questions India Test captain’s selection in Asia Cup squad

On August 19, 2025, former BCCI chief selector, Krishnamachari Srikkanth, expressed surprise at the recall of Shubman Gill to the Asia Cup squad. Gill, who hasn’t played a T20I for India since 2024, had recently taken over as the Test team’s captain. Despite Gill’s success in the Test series in England and suggestions he may be given the ODI leadership, Srikkanth questioned the decision to suddenly bring him back into the discussion for the opener’s slot in the Asia Cup squad.

Srikkanth particularly pointed out that Gill had not been part of the 2024 T20 World Cup-winning team. He suggested that if Gill had been captain, he would have automatically been in the playing XI, and there would not have been opportunity for players such as Sai Sudharsan, Yashasvi Jaiswal or Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Despite Gill’s recent success in IPL 2022 with the Gujarat Titans and his improved T20 game, Srikkanth argued for continuity in team selection and criticised the decision to recall him, as he hadn’t featured in the T20I series against England earlier that year.