India and England recently wrapped up the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test series with a 2-2 draw. Even though the series was tied, India clearly had the upper hand by dominating more sessions — 33 compared to England’s 21.
Despite the Test team’s strong performance, India’s T20 squad, now led by Gautam Gambhir, seems quite stable. As a result, only a few changes are expected before the Asia Cup 2025. Many of the stars from the Test series may not play in the upcoming T20 tournament. Here are five key players who are likely to miss the Asia Cup:
1. Jasprit Bumrah
Bumrah played only 3 of the 5 Tests to manage his workload and is expected to rest during the Asia Cup as well. In the matches he did play, he took 14 wickets at an average of 26. He also had a great IPL season with 18 wickets and an economy of just 6.68.
2. KL Rahul
Rahul hasn’t played T20Is for India since the 2022 World Cup. Even though he had a strong IPL 2025 season for Delhi Capitals — scoring 539 runs at a strike rate close to 150 — he may still miss out. Sanju Samson is likely to be the first-choice wicketkeeper, with Dhruv Jurel or Jitesh Sharma as backups.
3. Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jaiswal will probably not be in the Asia Cup squad because he’s currently playing in the Duleep Trophy for West Zone. He had a solid IPL season with 559 runs in 14 games for Rajasthan Royals.
4. Shubman Gill
Gill was the top performer in the Test series, scoring over 750 runs. However, he is also playing in the Duleep Trophy as the captain of North Zone. With Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson expected to open in the Asia Cup, Gill is unlikely to be picked for the T20 squad.
5. Rishabh Pant
Pant fractured his right foot during the fourth Test and missed the final game. He won’t recover in time for the Asia Cup. After the 2024 T20 World Cup, he hasn’t been in India’s T20 plans. His IPL 2025 performance wasn’t great either — apart from one big century (118 against RCB), he only scored 151 runs in the other 13 games.
India’s T20 team for the Asia Cup is expected to remain mostly unchanged. Test stars like Bumrah, Rahul, Jaiswal, Gill, and Pant are unlikely to be included due to injury, scheduling conflicts, or team strategy.
