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Mohammed Kaif has supported Shubman Gill for the Asia Cup squad over Yashasvi Jaiswal, citing Gill’s strong performances as captain in England and IPL 2025.
Mohammed Kaif says that he prefers Shubman Gill over Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Asia Cup squad (Picture credit: AFP)
Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has said that, considering the way Shubman Gill has performed as skipper on the England tour recently, he deserves a spot in the Asia Cup squad over Yashasvi Jaiswal, even as questions arise over India’s team composition for the continental battle.
The multi-nation tournament is all set to start on September 9, with the UAE as the host nation.
Kaif selected Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as the openers and named Gill as a backup option, leaving out Jaiswal. In a video shared on his YouTube channel on Friday, he highlighted Gill’s performances during the England Test series and IPL 2025, where he scored 650 runs at a stunning average of 50.
“Regarding Gill and Jaiswal, only one might make it and I believe that, considering the way Shubman Gill performed as captain on the England tour, scoring 750 runs, he deserves a spot,” Kaif said.
“Even in the IPL, he (Gill) scored plenty of runs. So, he might not make the playing XI, but his name should be in the squad as a backup opener,” Kaif said.
For the backup wicketkeeper, the former Indian cricketer opted for Jitesh Sharma, who impressed in IPL 2025 while playing for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
“Next, if I talk about the backup opener, there is a tough fight between Gill and Jaiswal, but only one can be selected. You also need a backup wicketkeeper and I am seeing Jitesh Sharma’s name,” Kaif said.
“He (Jitesh) is in amazing form and even led RCB to the finals this time. So, for the Asia Cup, Sanju Samson will be the main wicketkeeper, while the backup wicketkeeper will be Jitesh Sharma,” Kaif added.
In the same video, the former Indian cricketer backed the inclusion of Mohammed Siraj for the Asia Cup, after his heroic performance in the England Tests.
The star Indian pacer emerged as the leading wicket-taker, claiming 23 scalps in five matches as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
“I will take the name of one more player, Mohammed Siraj. Although his name wasn’t included in the ODI team for the Champions Trophy, with Harshit Rana taking his place, the selectors will have to decide here whether to go with Harshit Rana or Siraj,” Kaif said.
Kaif’s squad for Asia Cup: Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Shubman Gill, Mohammed Siraj, Jitesh Sharma
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