India’s Asia Cup Squad: Rinku, Iyer, Sundar among those fighting for ‘15th spot’ – Report

All the talks around Team India‘s Asia Cup 2025 squad continue to take new turns every day, with the latest report suggesting that the men’s selection committee has finalised at least 14 players, with four players fighting for that one '15th' spot. Ajit Agarkar-led panel will meet in Mumbai on Tuesday (Aug 19) with T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav also joining them for the squad selection discussion. While several first-team players will retain their places, including the openers Abhishek Sharma and gloveman Sanju Samson, talks over excluding Test captain Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also made headlines.

However, the crucial point here is picking one of the four players for the final spot, including Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar and Riyan Parag. An Indian Express report suggests that the selectors are contemplating between picking a specific batter (in Iyer or Rinku) or choosing between all-rounders Parag and Sundar.

Per the report, the selection committee is more inclined towards picking an extra batter, with Iyer likely to win the race ahead of Rinku Singh.

Iyer's ability to play spin better, his leadership qualities, and experience (that he brings to the table) make him a handy customer in the middle order. Without questioning his leadership skills, which saw him take two different IPL teams to finals in successive years and win a title with one (KKR in 2024), Iyer’s batting experience in these conditions, having played an instrumental role in helping India win the Champions Trophy (Feb 2025), could benefit the Indian Team.

Gambhir’s approach is a bit different

Having worked and mentored Iyer to an IPL title in 2024, Gambhir could also have him back in the squad; however, in his brief stint as the Indian head coach, Gambhir has been inclined towards picking all-rounders. Even on the recently concluded Test tour of England, Gambhir had four all-rounders, including Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja, all playing crucial roles throughout the series.

As for Rinku and Parag, both are unlikely to get a nod ahead of the abovementioned players. While Rinku also played under Gambhir in KKR and Parag tasted little T20I success in Gautam’s reign, both could perhaps be picked for bilateral series; however, both remain part of India’s T20 WC pool.