Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer were left out of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad despite stellar T20 performances.
The naming of India's Asia Cup 2025 squad has generated excitement and discussions among cricket fans and experts. Although the majority of the selections were anticipated, the two excellent and in-form batsmen, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer, were left off.
Given that both are well-known for their outstanding T20 performances, their absence has generated criticism. Suryakumar Yadav will lead India along with Shubman Gill as Vice Captain. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel chose a 15-member squad.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, 23, will be disappointed to miss the main squad. The selectors preferred Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. Agarkar explained during the press briefing, “It’s unfortunate that Jaiswal has had to miss out, but he’ll have to wait as what Abhishek has done at the top cannot be looked past.”
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Despite this, Jaiswal has been named as a standby, keeping his hopes alive. The left-right combination at the top means he may get a chance in the future.
Shreyas Iyer is another notable exclusion. He had a remarkable IPL season, scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of 170 while leading Punjab Kings to the IPL final. This followed his IPL-winning campaign with Kolkata Knight Riders.
Ajit Agarkar recognized Iyer’s talent but cited the large pool of T20 options. “About Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he’ll have to wait for his chance,” he said.
The selectors had a difficult task. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma have secured their T20 spots. Tilak Varma also keeps his place. These choices forced the panel to leave out players like Jaiswal and Iyer. Ajit Agarkar called it a “good headache” to have many quality options, showing the strength of India’s T20 talent pool.
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T20 selections often result in a few batters missing out. This time, Jaiswal and Iyer were the ones. However, their time will come. Both remain important for India’s T20 future.
In addition to keeping skilled players like Jaiswal and Iyer ready for future possibilities, the Asia Cup 2025 will put India's squad depth to the test.
