Vaibhav Suryavanshi to be India’s Asia Cup surprise? BCCI told to play ‘bold’ in squad selection; ‘Don’t make him wait’

Amid the ongoing buzz on who should be in the flight to UAE next month, India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad selection got a fresh twist as former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth called for Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s inclusion. The 14-year-old from Bihar broke into limelight in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals with a hundred.

Having become the youngest ever to earn an IPL contract, Suryavanshi etched his name into record books by becoming the youngest-ever IPL centurion at 14 years when he reached his three-figure mark against Gujarat Titans. He finished his IPL 2025 campaign with a fifty.

In seven matches, Suryavanshi amassed 252 runs at a strike rate of more than 200. That’s not all. The left-handed opener continued his impressive form for India U-19 in England, scoring a century en route to their series win. Srikkanth’s comments came after he felt Sanju Samson’s position is still in doubt following the right-hander’s injury in IPL 2025.

“You have to play bold. Don’t make him wait. Don’t say things like ‘let him mature’. He is already playing with remarkable maturity. His shot-making has been on another level. If I were chairman, I would definitely have him in the squad,” Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube show.

Srikkanth, who was a member of the India’s 1983 World Cup-winning squad, picked Abhishek Sharma as his first-choice opener, kept Suryavanshi and Sai Sudharsan as his options for the second opener.

“My first-choice opener is Abhishek Sharma, no doubt. I will have two more openers. My picks would be Vaibhav Suryavanshi or Sai Sudharsan, with Shubman Gill as an option. If I were a selector, I would keep Vaibhav in the 15 for the T20 World Cup. He has been outstanding,” he added.

“I think it should be Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Sai Sudharsan. I would take two out of these three. That would be my preference,” said Srikkanth.

When will India’s squad for Asia Cup 2025 be picked?

As per media reports, India’s squad will be announced on August 19 after a selection committee meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will be present at the meeting.