Asia Cup: Shreyas Iyer, Jitesh Sharma set for T20I return
What's the story
Star batters Shreyas Iyer and Jitesh Sharma are likely to make a return to India's T20I squad for the upcoming T20 Asia Cup. The senior national men's selection panel will meet on Tuesday to finalize the team for the tournament, which is scheduled to be held in UAE from September 9. Both players have been absent from T20Is since Gautam Gambhir became head coach in July 2024.
Player history
Iyer's inclusion may lead to tough decision
Iyer last played a T20I match in December 2023, while wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma's last appearance was in January 2024. As per The Hindu, the selectors and team management are eyeing experienced middle-order batter for the tricky conditions expected in UAE. If Iyer is picked, there could be a toss up between left-handers Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, who were part of India's last T20I squad against England earlier this year.
Team changes
Will Iyer, Jitesh come in?
Iyer had a stellar IPL 2025 season as PBKS finished as runners-up. He finished with 604 runs at 50.33, having clobbered six fifties. He tallied 39 maximums, the most by a captain in a single edition. His strike rate (175.07) is the third-best among batters with 600-plus runs in a season. Jitesh Sharma, who fared well for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), is likely to replace Dhruv Jurel.
Leadership role
Suryakumar to attend selection meeting
The squad for Asia Cup 2025 will reportedly be selected on August 19 in Mumbai. T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav will attend the meeting after recovering from sports hernia surgery at BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Notably, SKY has cleared the fitness test.