- August 16, 2025
With the Asia Cup 2025 on the horizon, international cricket fans have already begun speculating on India’s squad. Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has given his opinion on the prospective squad, and naturally caused a storm. With emphasis on selections such as Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, Riyan Parag, and of course the wicket keeper, leaves lots to talk about and ponder.
Shreyas Iyer’s Return: A Middle-Order Masterstroke
Harbhajan’s nod to Iyer signals faith in a player who can anchor an innings or accelerate at a moment’s notice. Fans probably remember Iyer particularly as a dependable middle-order batter, who has had many moments of brilliance in limited overs and is not only able to stabilize the innings but accelerate when necessary in T20 too. Perhaps Harbhajan thinks of Iyer as important for his calmness in tough situations against teams like the UAE, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka.
Iyer’s addition even signals a move towards an attempt to help balance the power-hitting element of the squad while still being able to build smart innings, a skill, like Iyer, that others do not have as they seek their strike rates rather than seek to be consistent through the innings. And Iyer’s creative batting approach could be exactly what India needs with the challenging conditions in Dubai.
Shubman Gill: India’s T20 Secret Weapon
Although Shubman Gill’s place in T20 cricket is being debated by many, Harbhajan Singh is someone who is fully backing Gill. Analysing Gill’s credentials is rather simple, according to Harbhajan. The fact is, at the age of 25, the Test captain has demonstrated that he knows he can attack with strike rates around 150.
What Gill can do in terms of anchoring and delivering explosive innings can give India more depth at the top of the order. For fans who would like to see the best of both worlds when it comes to having flamboyance alongside reliability, Gill represents both of those elements and adds x-factor on top.
The Wicketkeeping Puzzle: Rahul, Pant, or Both?
Harbhajan Singh has suggested KL Rahul would fit nicely as a back-up keeper-batter along with Rishabh Pant, whose inclusion would depend on being fit after fracturing his toe before the tournament. This now leaves some interesting avenues for the management to think about strategically. If Rahul is a utility batter but also available as a wicketkeeper, it adds another option for the team.
However, if Pant is fit, he is explosive and can outright win a T20 that India could easily lose without him, as he becomes the obvious choice whenever fit. Harbhajan’s comments suggest India can look more towards Pant as the finisher or wicketkeeper-batter and Rahul as back-up, and depending on the opposition and conditions, this leaves India to choose tactical options.
The analysis from Harbhajan Singh on India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad provides a lot of food for thought for fans. With Shreyas Iyer boosting the middle-order, Shubman Gill’s potential to blitz attack T20s, and that mouth-watering responsibility of choosing a keeper between Rahul and Pant, the squad presents itself as a collective unit with a nice balance of stability and excitement. Dubai will witness India face the UAE in the tournament’s opening match on September 10.
FAQs:
1. Why is Shreyas Iyer’s presence in the middle order so valuable for India?
Iyer provides stability in the middle order while being capable of accelerating when needed.
2. Why does Harbhajan support including Shubman Gill in T20Is?
Harbhajan believes Gill’s strong basics and ability to play big innings make him a T20 asset.
3. Has Shubman Gill played many T20Is for India?
Yes, he has played 21 T20Is and scored 578 runs at a strike rate of 139.27.
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