India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025 has sparked a storm among the cricket fraternity, with Kris Srikkanth taking direct aim at the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar. The former Indian captain has questioned Ajit Agarkar’s explanation behind Shreyas Iyer’s shocking snub for the Asia Cup 2025.
Shreyas Iyer was left out of both the main squad and even the five-man reserve list for the upcoming continental tournament in the UAE next month. He was overlooked despite his blistering IPL 2025 season, where he piled up more than 600 runs at a staggering strike rate of 175.
However, Agarkar defended the decision by pointing to the limited slots in a 15-member squad. The chief selector had said at the press conference, “With regard to Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can only pick 15.”
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Kris Srikkanth slams Ajit Agarkar after Shreyas Iyer’s shocking Asia Cup 2025 snub
But Srikkanth was not satisfied with Agarkar’s justification. He slammed the explanation as confusing and illogical. The Indian batter’s exclusion left Srikkanth baffled, especially because the selectors picked an additional wicketkeeper in Dhruv Jurel among the travelling reserves for the tournament.
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Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “On current form, Shreyas Iyer is an automatic choice. Let’s be very clear. You need to look at recent matches; there’s no point judging a player by form from a year ago. He scored 600 runs in the IPL at a strike rate of 175. Strike rate is the most important factor here. He has been brilliant. Yet you have left him out. You’ve confused him now.”
The former Indian chief selector believes that Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion sends a wrong message to players who consistently deliver both in the IPL and domestic cricket.
Srikkanth added, “For a player who has performed so well, you are saying, ‘Tell me who he will replace in the side.’ I cannot understand this statement. It’s a nonsensical statement from Agarkar. Totally nonsensical. I don’t agree with him.”
Kris Srikkanth questions Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Sanju Samson’s selection ahead of Shreyas Iyer
The 1983 World Cup winner has stressed that Iyer deserved a place in the Asia Cup 2025 squad ahead of Rinku Singh or Shivam Dube.
He pointed out that Iyer’s IPL 2025 form was far more impressive than both Rinku and Dube, who had below-par seasons with KKR and CSK, respectively.
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Slamming the selectors’ logic, Srikkanth said, “You can accommodate Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, and Sanju Samson, but there’s no place for Shreyas Iyer. What is this statement? I cannot understand the logic behind this. There’s no logic at all.”
Kris Srikkanth baffled by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s omission
Srikkanth was also left baffled by the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. The young Indian opener has been in terrific form across formats and has piled up 559 runs in the IPL 2025 at a strike rate close to 160. Despite this, the selectors left him out of the squad.
He signed off by saying, “See, Yashasvi Jaiswal is performing in international cricket; he is performing in the IPL. What wrong did he do? How can you leave him out?”
