Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has voiced his disappointment over the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer from India’s squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup. According to Ashwin, both players represent a rare breed of batters who prioritise the team’s needs over their records. This trait seems to have gone unrewarded in this selection.

Jaiswal, who was India’s backup opener at the 2024 T20 World Cup, found himself out of the main squad for the Asia Cup. Instead, Shubman Gill not only retained his spot but was also elevated as vice-captain, virtually securing his place in the starting XI. Ashwin noted that this decision leaves Jaiswal fighting for just one opening slot against Abhishek Sharma, which is a harsh reality for someone who has proven himself with consistency and fearlessness at the international stage.

“Not only has his slot gone, but there’s a leadership role attached to it as well,” Ravichandran Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Now Jaiswal is left with one spot, and if he doesn’t get it, he’ll be forced to adjust in the middle-order during the IPL. He averages 36 in T20s with a strike rate of 165 — you don’t find such players easily. And he’s not selfish. If the ball is there to be hit, he goes for it. Shreyas Iyer has the same approach.”

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Ashwin further explained that both Jaiswal and Iyer focus more on maintaining a healthy strike rate rather than boosting their averages. For him, that is exactly the brand of cricket India has been striving to develop in T20Is — attacking intent without fear of failure.

But with their omission, Ashwin fears that players may now start prioritising personal milestones over team-first batting, just to safeguard their spots. So far, Jaiswal has represented India in 23 T20Is, scoring 723 runs at a blistering strike rate of 164.31 — second only to Suryakumar Yadav when it comes to combining runs and strike rate.

Ravichandran Ashwin stressed that Jaiswal had never let the team down whenever given opportunities and deserved more faith from the selectors.

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“Look at Test cricket — Jaiswal grabbed that chance with both hands and has been India’s most successful debutant in recent years. He’s excelled in every format where opportunities came his way. If excellence isn’t enough to keep you in the frame, what more can a player do? All he can do now is go back to the drawing board and wait for another chance,” Ravichandran Ashwin concluded.