Ajit Agarkar, the chief selector of Team India, explained the reasons for the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer from the Asia Cup squad, which was revealed on 19 August. He explained that the decision was driven by squad balance and recent form, rather than any shortcomings from the players themselves.

Jaiswal, with over 2,000 runs in Tests and 723 runs from 23 T20Is, lost his place to Abhishek Sharma. The left-handed Abhishek has been in exceptional form this year, amassing 279 T20I runs at a strike rate of 219.68, including a top score of 135. His ability to provide a left-arm spin option also gave him an edge, especially in the subcontinental conditions.

Shreyas Iyer, after an impressive IPL 2025 season where he scored 604 runs from 17 matches at an average of 50.03 and a strike rate of 175.07, was also not selected. Agarkar reiterated that the omissions were not a result of any flaws on the players’ part.

“Regarding Yashasvi, it’s unfortunate. Abhishek Sharma has been exceptional in recent months and also provides us with a bowling option. One of them was always going to miss out, and unfortunately, Yashasvi will have to wait for his opportunity,” Agarkar said during a press conference.

“As for Shreyas, it’s also unfortunate. Tell me, who could he replace in this squad? It’s not his fault, nor ours. The reality is that only 15 players can be picked, and at the moment, he has to wait for his opportunity,” Agarkar explained.

India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 journey on September 10, when they take on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. As the defending champions, India will look to start their title defence on a strong note in the T20I tournament.

India squad for Asia Cup 2025

Abhishek sharma, tilak varma, sanju samson (wk), axar patel, jitesh sharma (wk), Hardik Pandya, Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Shivam Dube, Varun Chakaraun Chakaravthy, Jaspit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh