Asia Cup | Hardik Pandya loses vice-captaincy: India's World Cup-winning star makes big comment

NEW DELHI: The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection panel on Tuesday announced India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025, a decision that sparked mixed reactions. The team will be led by Suryakumar Yadav, with Shubman Gill named vice-captain. Among the notable omissions were Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer.Former India cricketer and selector Madan Lal expressed surprise at Jaiswal’s exclusion and also raised concerns over the handling of Hardik Pandya’s role. The all-rounder has been picked in the squad but no longer holds the vice-captaincy—a role he last occupied during the 2024 World Cup.“Sometimes you feel surprised that a player like Yashasvi Jaiswal is not in the team...I don't know why Hardik Pandya has been removed,” said the 1983 World Cup winner.He further added, “But Gill is a good choice as he is performing well. In the coming time, it is possible that Gill will play in all three formats..The players who make the team win a match must not be left out. ..We have such a good team that we may win the Asia Cup.”Jaiswal has been placed on the standby list along with Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel.The Asia Cup is set to take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28, with India entering the tournament as defending champions.The squad also features Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma, who have built a strong reputation as an opening pair in T20Is over the past eight to ten months. However, with Gill expected to open, questions remain over Samson’s role at the top of the order.