Ravichandran Ashwin slams Ajit Agarkar over Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad

New Delhi (India) August 19: Ajit Agarkar is the chief selector for the BCCI. He announces the 15-man Asia Cup 2025 squad on Tuesday. The exclusion of Shreyas Iyer is one of the main discussion points. Despite his incredible IPL 2025 form in which he not only scored a ton of runs but also led Punjab Kings to the final, he is not a part of the main squad. The selection committee decides to include captain Suryakumar Yadav in the middle order along with Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube.

In December 2023, Shreyas played his final Twenty20 International. He helped India defeat Australia with a brilliant half-century. Despite winning the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, he was left off of the 2024 T20 World Cup team.

Agarkar gives reasons for the final squad

Chief selector Agarkar emphasizes that neither he nor the panel was at fault. He provides a clear explanation for Iyer's exclusion. According to him, the committee decided on a combination that best met the requirements of the competition.

Agarkar says, "With regards to Shreyas, I mean, you need to tell him who he can replace. No fault of his, nor is it ours. It's just that we have to pick 15 at the moment, he'll have to wait for his chance," in the press conference.

The fact that Shreyas did not even make the five-man reserve list raises more concerns. Shreyas has recently been in his best form in T20S. 

Ashwin questions the selection panel

Ravichandran Ashwin is a former spinner for India. He was open in his criticism of Ajit Agarkar for excluding Shreyas Iyer from the Asia Cup squad.

Ashwin expresses his sympathy for Shreyas Iyer. He says that there is nothing more he could have done to earn a spot in the Asia Cup squad.

Ashwin says, “Shreyas Iyer has solid credentials. He was out of the team, but he made you win the Champions Trophy. If you argue that Shubman Gill is in blasting form, then Shreyas is also in some fine form. Who will answer all these questions? What Shreyas has done wrong,” on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

India’s matches and full Asia Cup team

The Asia Cup will be held from September 9 to September 28 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. India's campaign will begin on September 10 in Dubai against the United Arab Emirates. They will play against Pakistan on September 14 in the same location. On September 19, in Abu Dhabi, they will play Oman in their final group-stage game.

The Asia Cup Squad includes Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana and Rinku Singh.

The Reserves for the tournament includes Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.