- 5 months ago
Sunil Gavaskar praised India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, lauding its depth in batting and bowling versatility. He also backed Shubman Gill’s vice-captaincy, calling it a sign of India grooming their next leader.
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00:01Hello and welcome to our special Bring Back the Cup. Why is it that we're calling it that?
00:07Because remember, the Indian team are the defending champions of the Asia Cup.
00:12Now we are less than three weeks away from a new edition of the Continental Championship.
00:18And once again, the Indian team goes into that tournament as the favourite.
00:23It's a massive tournament, one, because this is going to be the dress rehearsal for the all-important T20 World Cup.
00:29And also, because India are going to be playing arch-rivals Pakistan in that tournament that will be played in the UAE in the early part of September.
00:40What the BCCI has done today is announced a 15-member squad that will represent India at that Continental Championship.
00:48Let me first quickly run you through that 15-member squad.
00:51And overall, there don't seem to be any massive surprises.
00:55It's a team that is led by Sura Kumar Yadav, a captain who has really taken this team a notch above the rest when it comes to the shortest format of the game.
01:06This is a team that will be there.
01:08And you'll have Shubh Mangil as the deputy of Sura Kumar Yadav, also packed with a lot of other batters in an explosive.
01:15Abhishek Sharma that we see.
01:17There is Tilak Verma, another very explosive batter.
01:20The all-rounder in Hardik Pandya.
01:22You've got another all-rounder in Shivam Dube.
01:24So, that is the shape that this team is taking at the moment.
01:29Then, the wicket keeper that you have, two of them in Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samsung.
01:34Spin bowling all-rounder in Akshar Patel.
01:36Two spin wizards in Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarti.
01:39And then, you've got a power-packed hitter in Rinku Singh there.
01:43Jaspreet Bumrah, of course, your biggest match winner.
01:45And two other fast bowlers that you have in Harshit Rana and Arsteep Singh.
01:51So, that is the 15-member squad, which at the moment is looking like the strongest squad that there is.
01:58Sunil Gavaskar, our cricket analyst, is also joining us live on the program.
02:02But before we go to Mr. Gavaskar, let us just set the stage and give you a lowdown as to what really happened.
02:09Why is it that the selectors went with one particular member and decided to omit the other?
02:15Plenty of names that the chief selector and his fellow selectors had to scrutinize.
02:19And we got an idea from him and the captain, Unsuru Kumar Yadav,
02:23what the roadmap for the tournament will be for India.
02:26And, of course, going forward in the shortest format of the game.
02:30There were some names that were straight walk-ins, but the inclusion of some makes for a very interesting conversation.
02:36Amongst them is Shubhman Gill.
02:39Right then, as we mentioned earlier, plenty of discussion points when it comes to the 15-member squad that the Indian selectors have picked.
02:46Joining us to discuss that, former India captain, our cricket analyst in Mr. Sunil Gavaskar.
02:51Sahi, first, let's talk about the biggest talking point at the moment,
02:54and that is the return of Shubhman Gill into the T20 setup.
02:58For you, is it par for the course or a bit surprising, you'd say?
03:03No, not surprising at all.
03:05Look, a man who scored 750 runs just barely about two weeks ago,
03:09he cannot be excluded from the team because his form is such good, in such good space.
03:14Also, not to forget that he's done really well in the IPL, which concluded just before the tour to England.
03:20So, all in all, I think it's a very, very good inclusion.
03:25And also, to give him the responsibility of the vice captain,
03:27it's also telling him that in the future, he could also be leading the T20 side.
03:32I think it's a very, very good selection.
03:33That was going to be my next question, Saim.
03:37Do you think the fact that he's been looked at as a future captain would have gone a long way
03:42because it was a shootout between Yashashvi Jaiswal and Shubhman Gill?
03:46Because Shubhman is your test captain and probably after the 2026 World Cup,
03:50you might have a transition when it comes to T20 captaincy.
03:53So, rather than have Gill come exactly at that time after the tournament,
03:57have him ease into the job as a vice captain,
03:59do you think that could have been the thought process?
04:02That certainly would be.
04:03That is, you know, also recognizing, you know, his potential as a captain,
04:07what we've seen in England, very, very impressive.
04:09Of course, he's got a long way to go, but very impressive the way he handled the team,
04:13handled the pressure in his first series as captain,
04:15and yet scored over 750 runs.
04:18So, that tells you how he's handled the pressure.
04:21And so, I think clearly, by appointing him...
04:23Right, Shubhman, we seem to have lost your audio.
04:35What we'll try and do is we'll try and reconnect with Mr. Gavaskar.
04:40Shubhman, can you hear me now?
04:42Can you say something?
04:42I'm just rechecking the audio.
04:45Yeah.
04:47Hello?
04:48Yes, now we can hear you.
04:50Sorry, go ahead.
04:51Yeah.
04:52No, so I said, I was saying that making him the vice captain is...
05:00Yeah.
05:04Yes, everybody, we can hear you.
05:05Just go ahead while we also fix your frame.
05:08Your audio is there for all of our viewers to hear.
05:11You could go ahead.
05:16Okay.
05:18Okay, I think we seem to be having...
05:21Yes, Sai Bae, we can hear you.
05:22Can you hear me?
05:27Oh, yeah.
05:30Hello?
05:31Sai Bae, can you hear me now?
05:32Yeah, now it seems to be back, the connection.
05:34Yes, please go ahead.
05:42Sai Bae, can you hear me?
05:43I can hear you.
05:44I can hear you.
05:45Yes, we can hear you.
05:46You could go ahead now.
05:47Yeah, so what I was saying is that Shukman Gill has shown with the vice captaincy that,
05:53you know, he is going to be the captain of the Indian team as well in the future.
05:57And it's always good to have him take the responsibility just a little bit earlier.
06:03Okay, the reason, Sai Bae, I think a lot of people are talking about, you know, this election and the reason it has become a talking point is because if you take a look at Yashashvi Jaisfal's number, and I'm comparing them to Shubman Gill's, we've got those numbers as well, and we'll have them up on the screen as well.
06:22In the IPL, it's nothing much to choose from between Shubman Gill and Yashashvi Jaisfal.
06:29But once you take a look at those T20 international numbers, Yashashvi's numbers have been phenomenal.
06:34Not only does he average slightly more than Shubman Gill, his strike rate is, you know, phenomenal.
06:40Where Gill is at 130 and 164 is where Yashashvi Jaisfal is operating.
06:44So, just looking at that squad that Suru Kumar Yadav has assembled in the last few months, a team that is really batting at a very high strike rate, do you think that Yashashvi felt like a more natural fit to this team than Shubman Gill?
06:58You can only pick 11 in the playing 11 and you can only pick 15 in a spot.
07:05Somebody has to miss out.
07:06That's just one of those things in Indian cricket.
07:08So, no point, you know, going on about, you know, whether A or B or C should have been there.
07:13This is now our team.
07:14I think this is the one thing that we all must realize.
07:16We can have all our opinions before the selection committee meets.
07:20Once the selection committee has met, once they've selected the team, we should back it fully.
07:25We shouldn't be saying, E should I be there, B should I be there.
07:28Because that only creates controversy which nobody needs.
07:31Certainly the players don't need.
07:33The reason, Sai, why we're asking about a lot of these players is because, you know, some of them, as you mentioned, that, you know, India is blessed with an abundance of talent.
07:42A lot of them might feel a bit unfortunate to have missed out in this format considering that they've been doing rather well.
07:48Let's take a look at what now the 11 could be.
07:50We have an idea of what the 15 is.
07:52In fact, we have the definite 15 with us.
07:54Let's try and look at that 11.
07:55And the first thought that, you know, crosses my mind is that of a Sanju Samson.
08:00Now you've got a Gil, who's your vice captain.
08:02He's definitely probably going to be opening with an Abhishek Sharma, who's been outstanding.
08:06At three, you've got a Tilak Verma.
08:08You also have a Surya Kumar Yadav there.
08:11Does this mean that someone like a Sanju Samson, who was your first choice wicketkeeper, now misses out on that first choice 11?
08:18Not necessarily.
08:21He can still be in the team as somebody batting down the order.
08:26He can be batting at maybe five or six.
08:28He could be doing that as well.
08:30So I don't see why he should be left out.
08:33After all, he's a wicketkeeper.
08:34So I don't see any reason about worrying about Sanju Samson's batting position.
08:41Sanju is a very, very gifted player.
08:43He can adapt, inshallah, whether he's opening the batting.
08:47He was batting down the order for RR as well, you know, when Surya Walshi and Jaiswal were opening.
08:54So he is used to batting down the order as well.
08:56So, yes, I think we shouldn't be too worried about Sanju Samson.
09:00He's a class act.
09:03Okay, that's really interesting, as Mr. Gavaskar says, that probably you can find a way to fit in a Sanju Samson as well in the 11th.
09:10Sanjeevai, if I can, you know, press you to give your first choice 11, if you had to pick a first choice 11, what would it be?
09:19What I would, obviously, you know, your first choice 11 is going to depend on a lot of things.
09:24Even your batting order will depend on a lot of things, like what the pitch is like, who the opposition is, what is the opposition's attack, bowling attack, for example.
09:32Do they have too many left-handers?
09:33Do they have spinners?
09:35And accordingly, you can shift your batting up and out.
09:37But I guess the two certainties would be Abhishek as well as Shubhman Gill, the two Punjab boys opening the batting together.
09:45That would be my opening pair.
09:48And then number three would be, again, three and four would be Tilak Verma and Suri Kumar Yadu.
09:53If a left-hander gets out, Tilak Verma comes into bat.
09:55If a right-hander gets out, Suri Kumar Yadu comes into bat.
09:58That would be my top four.
09:59And then depending on what the score is and what you need, either you put Hardik Pandya a little bit ahead or Sanju Sampson goes into bat.
10:08There is also somebody like Akshar Patel who can come in and bat.
10:14How well he batted in the final of the T20 World Cup in Barberos.
10:18So the batting depth is quite, quite, quite deep.
10:22So that would be the way to go.
10:25And as far as the bowling is concerned, I would look at going with Arshdeep as well as Jaspreet Bumrah to open the bowling.
10:32And also have Akshar Patel, Hardik Pandya, of course, as the all-rounder.
10:38Akshar Patel has another all-rounder.
10:40And Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarti.
10:42So the guys who would miss out for the first game from the 15 would be, say, Dubey, Jitesh, Arshid and Rinko Singh.
10:52I know it's a little bit tough on these guys, but then that's what it is.
10:55Like I said earlier, only 11 can play.
10:58And I think this would be the best 11 to go, at least at the start of the tournament.
11:02That's a very interesting 11 that Mr. Gavaskar picks.
11:05Probably the 11 that the Indian team can go in with as well.
11:10So what we'll try and do is try and re-establish that connection.
11:13Because while we can hear you, we really can't, you know, see your visuals at the moment.
11:17So I'd request you to just rejoin that link once again.
11:21But just to run you through the score or the 11 that Mr. Gavaskar has made.
11:26He's gone on to have someone like Abhishek and Shubhman Gill open.
11:31He's got a Tilak Verma in that 11.
11:34Surya Kumar Yadav at number four.
11:36Then there's Hardik Pandya, Akshar Patel that he's gone in in the middle order.
11:40And he believes that's a very flexible middle order.
11:43Two fast bowler that you've got in Arsteep as well as Jaspreet Bumrah.
11:47And then he's gone in with two spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarti.
11:52That's going to be very interesting if the Indian team does go in with those two out-and-out spinners as well.
11:59Plenty more to come with Mr. Gavaskar.
12:03But let's also turn our attention to the other big talking point that happened with the announcement of the Indian 15 for the Asia Cup.
12:11And remember, there are no bilateral ties, no sharing of water, no diplomatic engagement.
12:17But cricket stands tall between India and Pakistan.
12:21While there was no official word with regards to the tournament till now, the BCCI, by announcing the score, has established that India will take part in the tournament.
12:31And with an extension of that, it also means that India will be playing Pakistan.
12:36But what about the anger and isolation tactics towards the fall?
12:39As things stand, the two countries will have a go at each other on the cricket field on the 14th of September.
12:45And that's a far cry from what we've witnessed so far, where there will be no sort of cultural engagement between the two countries.
12:53There's hostility that we witnessed on the border as well.
12:57Mr. Gavaskar is still with us.
12:58Sahiba, your views now, it's pretty much now guaranteed that India will play Pakistan in the Asia Cup.
13:04What are your thoughts on that?
13:05Well, my thoughts would be that it is the government which has to give the instructions to the BCCI.
13:14The BCCI will follow what the government says and the players will also follow what the BCCI says.
13:20I think it is going to be that kind of a situation.
13:24So, everything depends on what the government of India decides.
13:27Do you still feel that there could be a situation where India still pull out of that game versus Pakistan?
13:33Do you still see there is a scope there?
13:35Because now that the team is announced, everyone thinks that it is on track now.
13:40Well, it could happen.
13:41But like I said, it is entirely up to the government of India to tell the BCCI what to do.
13:47Do you think, Sahiba, in situations like these, it leaves the players a bit vulnerable?
13:52Because, you know, they'll be subjected to social media abuse.
13:55But they themselves can't take a call, as you just mentioned.
13:58So, it leaves the players a bit vulnerable.
14:00We saw that in that Legends League game as well.
14:03And last moment, the players decided to pull out.
14:04Well, I mean, if the government has taken a call, I don't see how the players can be criticized or, you know, commented upon.
14:16Because the players, at the end of the day, are contracted to the BCCI.
14:19The BCCI will be taking, you know, instructions from the government of India.
14:23And so, it entirely depends on that.
14:27I don't see what the players are helpless in this.
14:29The players would be, you know, they've been selected to play in the Asia Cup.
14:34And so, they have to go out over there.
14:38And if the government says you have to play against, you have to play all the matches, then that is what the players will do.
14:46All right, Mr. Gavaskar, we'll leave it at that.
14:49Thanks so much for joining us.
14:50We were looking at that team selection, the 15-member squad that has been picked by the Indian selectors for the Asia Cup.
14:58Sahiba, before I let you go, one quick word.
15:00Do you think this is an Asia Cup winning squad?
15:04Very much so.
15:05This is a fabulous squad.
15:06This is a squad which has got so much of variety.
15:09It's got depth in batting.
15:10It's got variety in batting.
15:11Left hand, right hand combination.
15:13And the bowling as well.
15:14Look at the variety in the bowling as well.
15:16Fantastic team it is.
15:18Okay, we'll leave it at that.
15:18Mr. Gavaskar, thank you so much for joining us.
15:20That's all that we have in this special.
15:22We were looking back at the Asia Cup.
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