Netizens lash out at broadcasters over confusion on Shubman Gill's place in Asia Cup squad

Team India on Monday disclosed its 18-member squad for the upcoming 2023 Asia Cup. The continental championship is slated to commence on August 30, with co-host Pakistan playing against debutants Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Meanwhile, India's campaign will kick off against Pakistan on September 2, 2023, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

3 things you need to know

• The scheduled dates for the Asia Cup 2023 are from August 31 to September 17
• India's opening match is set against Pakistan on September 2, 2023
• In the previous edition of the 50-over Asia Cup, India emerged victorious

Also Read: 'Chahal Should Take Retirement Now': Reactions Pour In As India Announces Asia Cup Squad

Netizens slam broadcaster for a major goof-up

Ajit Agarkar, the former India cricketer and current head of the BCCI selection committee, was responsible for the announcement. An element of confusion arose when Star Sports, the host broadcaster, initially indicated that the emerging batting talent, Shubman Gill, was omitted from India's Asia Cup squad, only to later correct this by confirming his inclusion.

Agarkar subsequently clarified that Gill hadn't been dropped, while Sanju Samson was declared as a backup player for the prestigious tournament. The broadcaster faced significant criticism on social media due to the confusion surrounding this issue.

12.26 PM: BCCI didn't include Shubman Gill in Asia Cup squad.

12.32 PM: Shubman Gill included in Asia Cup.

— CricAdda x 247 (@Cricadd247) August 21, 2023

Team India's Squad for Asia Cup 2023 has been Announced !! 💙🥳

Note : Shubman Gill is in the Squad.#AsiaCup2023 | #TeamIndia | #ViratKohli
📸 Via Hotstar pic.twitter.com/NVEdgQVDCd

— TEAM MS DHONI #Dhoni (@imDhoni_fc) August 21, 2023

Shubman Gill in between 1:26 PM and 1:34 PM today 😃😨#AsiaCup2023pic.twitter.com/6pToXODUsk

— Johns (@JohnyBravo183) August 21, 2023

So now these Star sports experts are dropping Gill 🤡

— Vineet B Vinayak (@VineetVinayak07) August 21, 2023

Also Read: 'He Has Scoring Runs Like Crazy': Shikhar Dhawan Names The 'best Batter In The World'

India's Asia Cup 2023 squad

The roster's most prominent highlights include the comeback of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Jasprit Bumrah. As anticipated, the selection also featured young talent Tilak Varma, who earned his place following an impressive batting performance in the recently concluded five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

India's 18-member squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.

Backup player: Sanju Samson (wk)

Image: AP/Hotstar