The speculation around Shubman Gill becoming India’s T20I captain for the Asia Cup has finally ended. According to reports, the BCCI selection committee will retain Suryakumar Yadav as captain. Meanwhile, the Asia Cup is scheduled to begin on September 9 in the UAE.

According to Times of India, chief selector Ajit Agarkar will announce the squad at a press conference in Mumbai on August 19, after a selection committee meeting.

"Yes, the team for the Asia Cup will be picked on August 19 in Mumbai. The selection committee meeting will be followed by a press conference by chief selector, former India pacer Ajit Agarkar," a source told the newspaper.

Additionally, Suryakumar will attend the meeting. He is currently at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, recovering from sports hernia surgery. However, he has already resumed training in the nets.

Why Gill Was in Leadership Talks

Shubman Gill’s name surfaced after his strong performance in England. During his first Test as captain, he led India to a 2-2 draw and scored a record 754 runs in 10 innings.

As a result, experts backed him as a potential all-format captain. Nevertheless, the report confirms that Suryakumar will retain the T20I captaincy.

Gill May Miss the Squad

The report further states that Gill may not even make the Asia Cup squad. Instead, selectors plan to continue with the opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma.

"In fact, with India intending to persist with the opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, Gill is currently struggling to even make the squad," a source said.

Moreover, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been asked to focus on red-ball cricket and will likely miss the tournament. Similarly, Shreyas Iyer, despite good IPL form, may be overlooked.

"Even Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had a strong series in England, and middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer are likely to be left out. Jaiswal has been advised by the selectors to concentrate on red-ball cricket," the source added.