While former India batter Subramanium Badrinath was okay with the national selectors backing Shubman Gill and appointing him as the vice-captain in the 2025 Asia Cup squad, he expressed his shock after seeing the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan failing to make the cut.
India announced a 15-man squad for September's Asia Cup in the UAE. Shubman returned to the T20I setup for the first time since July 2024 and replaced Axar Patel as the deputy to Suryakumar Yadav. However, Badrinath believes that Jaiswal and Sudharsan performed better than the Punjab batter in the Indian Premier League IPL and deserved spots in the squad for the continental competition. The cricketer-turned-expert also feels that Shubman's inclusion puts Sanju Samson's place in the playing XI in doubt.
Shubman won the Player of the Series against England for his consistent performances during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which ended earlier this month. The right-handed batter finished as the highest run-getter in the series and also led the side commendably. Badrinath opined that his performances on the tour helped him earn a recall to the T20 side.