Ashwin stated that Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion was unfair since he led PBKS to their first final in 10 years and performed strongly for India.
Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned the selectors’ call to exclude Shreyas Iyer from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, calling it a harsh decision. Iyer’s omission raised eyebrows as he had recently returned to form, regaining his central contract after a strong Champions Trophy campaign. He also excelled in the IPL, taking Punjab Kings to their first final since 2014 and earlier leading Kolkata Knight Riders to the 2024 title under Gautam Gambhir.
Despite these achievements, the selectors overlooked him once again, which Ashwin described as deeply disappointing. The veteran spinner also expressed concern over the exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal, stating that both players had done enough to deserve a place.
“What has Shreyas done wrong? He did brilliantly well for KKR, making them win. He was sent into the auction. He then took Punjab to the finals for the first time since 2014. He overcame the short ball problem. He was hitting the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah with ease in the IPL. Look at the credentials of Shreyas. He went out of the team. But came in the Champions Trophy and did amazing batting. He won and gave it to you,” Ashwin said on his YouTube Channel.
“I am just extremely sad for him and Yashasvi Jaiswal; it is extremely unfair,” he added.
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Ashwin also questioned the decision to elevate Shubman Gill as vice-captain, pointing out that Gill was only a standby in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
“When you have Jaiswal as your third opener, you have brought Shubman Gill in the team by removing a person from the World Cup winning squad. I mean, I am happy for Shubman but I am very, very sad for both Shreyas and Jaiswal. It’s just not fair on both,” he concluded.
India’s Squad For Asia Cup 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Reserves – Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal
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Last Updated on August 20, 2025
