Cricket: 4 stars from India vs. England series who could miss the Asia Cup 2025
1. KL Rahul - Batsmen
Former vice captain of India's T20I national team, KL Rahul, had a very impressive series in England over the last couple of months, but is widely expected to be omitted from the touring squad for the Asia Cup next month.
The wicket-keeper batsman also shone for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League earlier this year, scoring 539 runs at an average of 53.9, but he has not made the national team in the shortest format since the 2022 World Cup.
India are spoiled for choice at present with the number of class glovemen they have at present. Leading the line and favourite for the role at the Asia Cup is Sanju Samson, while Dhruv Jurel, Jitesh Sharma and Rishabh Pant are all considered ahead of Rahul in the pecking order.
2. Nitish Kumar Reddy - Allrounder
The next potential omission for the Asia Cup could be Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was handed his maiden call-up to the national T20I team last year against Zimbabwe following impressive showings in the five-day format.
He has since made four T20I appearances and enjoyed an excellent IPL season, but will almost certainly miss out on the tournament in the UAE due to a knee injury that has forced him to miss games for the South Zone squad at the Duleep Trophy.
3. Jasprit Bumrah - Bowler
This one, unsurprisingly, divides opinion, with some Indian fans feeling that Jasprit Bumrah should be rested for the Asia Cup given that he is nursing a back injury, while others feel that his inclusion is a no-brainer.
Bumrah played just three Tests against England due to workload management and was noticeably not at the peak of his powers despite picking up 14 wickets. He also claimed 18 scalps at the IPL for the Mumbai Indians.
While there is no doubt that the 31-year-old is still among the best around, the performances of Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, and Prasidh Krishna in England have raised questions around whether there is a need to risk Bumrah’s injury being aggravated.
4. Shubman Gill - Batsman
India’s newly appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, is the next player who could be forced to sit out the team's Asia Cup title defence next month despite his incredible performance, scoring multiple centuries against Ben Stokes’ side last month.
With Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson widely expected to occupy slots in the top half of the batting order, Gill, along with the likes of Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal, are all battling for the remaining spots.
