'Very interesting next 12 months in his life' - Abhishek Nayar opens up on Shubman Gill's return in T20I squad

Published - 19 Aug 2025, 21:07 IST | Updated - 19 Aug 2025, 21:56 IST

The announcement of India’s squad for the 2025 ACC Men’s Asia Cup has triggered immense debate, with former assistant coach Abhishek Nayar sharing his thoughts on the line-up for the marquee event. The squad headlines the comeback of Shubman Gill to the T20I setup. The youngster, who is already India’s Test captain, has now been named vice-captain in the shortest format. He revealed the mindset of the selectors, and Gill looked like an all-format skipper in the future.

Notably. Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson formed a successful opening pair over the past year, and Tilak Varma excelled at No.3. However, the management must find a way to fit Gill without disrupting the top order. Former opener Aakash Chopra also gave his take on Gill's inclusion in the squad following a successful stint as a Test captain in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

"India seems to be moving in the direction of an all-format captain. With Shubman Gill’s return, Sanju Samson’s fate has more or less been sealed; he won’t feature in the playing XI now. You won’t drop Tilak Varma or Hardik Pandya, which means Samson sits out, and Jitesh Sharma will likely get the nod again. One thing is very clear from this selection: the batting slots have been prioritized over personalities. With Gill coming in as vice-captain, he will definitely play and open the batting. This essentially pushes Sanju Samson out of the XI," Chopra said.

Furthermore, Shreyas Iyer’s omission was the major talking point from the squad announcement. Despite a stellar IPL 2025 campaign, scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and leading Punjab Kings to the final, Iyer not only missed the main squad but was also excluded from the reserves. The former assistant coach revealed that the Mumbai batter is no more of the selectors’ scheme of things.

"I can’t fathom or understand what reason could justify Shreyas Iyer not being part of the 20-member squad. I’m not even talking about the final 15, but the 20 itself, which sends a clear message that Shreyas Iyer is not in the selectors’ scheme of things, at least from a T20 perspective," Nayar added.

Nayar also addressed the return of ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been carefully managed after injuries kept him out of limited-overs cricket and also played just three out of the five Test matches of the England series.

"We all need to understand that Bumrah is a prized asset. He is the difference between winning and not winning a championship, and that must be respected. His workload and his body must be respected, because when you don’t have him in crucial matches, the impact is massive. Whatever the plan is, no one knows it better than Bumrah himself. He’ll be the best judge of what his body can handle and can communicate that with the selectors and team management. Knowing him and having spent time with him, I can tell you nothing matters more to him than performing well and winning championships for India," Nayar concluded.