Key Points

The selectors have sprung a major surprise by including Test team captain Shubman Gill in the squad despite him missing the last few white-ball matches. Agarkar explained his absence was due to a scheduling clash between various formats. In his absence, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have been given opportunities, and they have done quite well.

Gill replaced Axar Patel as vice-captain despite missing many T20 matches because of his commitments with the Test and 50-over teams.

Asked whether Gill walks straight back into the playing XI as vice-captain, Agarkar left it open: “Captain and coach will take the call on the best balance for the team. Once we get to Dubai, we will have a bit more clarity. More options are available now. Shubman has been in great form anyway for the last few months. So has Sanju. So two good options, along with Abhishek,” he said.

Regarding Yashasvi Jaiswal failing to find a place in the main squad, the chief selector said it was unfortunate that they had to leave him out.

"With regards to Yashasvi Jaiswal, I mean, it's just unfortunate again. Abhishek Sharma, what he's done over the last few months or a year or so that he's been with the team. Plus, that he can bowl a little bit gives us an option, if required, by the captain.

"One of these guys was always going to miss out. It's just unfortunate that Yashasvi might have to wait for his chance. With regards to Shreyas, I mean, we can replace that. Again, no fault of his. Nor is it ours. It's just that we can pick only 15 and, at the moment, he might have to wait for his chance," said Agarkar.

Agarkar was also questioned about the availability of Bumrah, considering the pacer played only three Tests in England. Agarkar said there is a small break after the England series, which has given Bumrah and other players time to recover.

"Obviously, there has been a break after the England series as well. The team management, all the officials, and people from the support staff are always in touch (with him). We have, it's not just now, even before his injury, we tried to look after him, because we know how valuable he is.

"We want him available for all the big games, you know, international games, but there are World Cups, there are Champions Trophy, or big series like the England or Australia, we want him available all the time. So that is not possible all the time. Because he's picked up the injury over the last 4-3 years, there is extra time taken on how unique and how special he is.

"And it won't change, it won't change, whether it's this series or maybe the next 6 months. As we go along, how he's feeling now, when we require him as a team, which is probably the most important thing," he added.

The absence of Shreyas Iyer and the dropping of Sai Sudharsan, too, was a talking point in the press conference, and Agarkar said not everyone can be included. "There are a million players available, so in that sense, all of them missed out. We have only 15 spots, so someone or other will miss out," he added.

Iyer had scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 in IPL 2025 and led Punjab Kings to the final, but failed to find a place in the 15.

"About Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance," said Agarkar.

Both Suryakumar Yadav and Agarkar said the Asia Cup signals the start of India's cycle for the next T20 World Cup.

Agarkar was asked whether Gill's return to the squad as vice-captain is an indicator that he may take up the leadership mantle in the future.

"He led in T20I (Zimbabwe), and in the Test team, he is already leading, and like Surya mentioned, he was vice-captain in the last T20, so we obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. He obviously exceeded all our expectations, with the kind of form that he showed with his bat, which is a great sign when there's so much pressure on you as a captain," said Agarkar.

- IANS