Suryakumar Yadav, India T20I captain, attended the BCCI meeting.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15 names that will be in the Indian team for the Asia Cup 2025 that will be played in the UAE from September 9 to 28. India will open their tournament against UAE on September 10 in Dubai and will face Pakistan on September 14 at the same venue.
The BCCI selection meeting was attended by Shiv Sundar Das, Subroto Banerjee, Ajay Ratra, Sridharan Sharath, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, and headed by secretary Devajit Saikia. Surya Kumar Yadav, the T20 captain, was also present.
However, head coach Gautam Gambhir wasn’t part of the selection meeting or joined the meeting via video call. This disproves the notion that Gautam Gambhir chose not to include Shreyas Iyer or Yashasvi Jaiswal in the starting lineup for the 2025 Asia Cup.
“Gautam was not a part of the selection meeting. He did not join on video call either. Coaches are a part of the selection process because they are consulted on the pool of available players. But they are never at the meeting, unless called in as a special invitee ahead of some major events,” a source privy to details told NDTV.
The BCCI source revealed, “The coach is constantly in touch with the pool of 25-27 players. He is in touch with the National Cricket Academy head, with the fitness coach, the strength trainer, and the entire backroom staff who provide him information about each player. Depending on the information at hand, he shortlists 20 players, whose roles are then well defined. The final job is done by the selection committee.”
Choosing the final 11 from the team chosen by the national selection committee is the responsibility of the coach and captain. According to the BCCI source, decisions about a player's promotion, demotion, picking, or dropping are made during the season rather than during the meeting.