Follow UsShubman Gill made an entry into the Indian T20 unit for the first time since July 2024 after he was named in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2025, which will be held in the T20 format.
While Gill was straight away named vice captain despite having a T20I average of 30 and a strike rate below 140, Shreyas Iyer, a proven leader, having led three Indian Premier League (IPL) teams into the final, wasn't even able to make it to the Indian squad.
This logic by chief selector Ajit Agrakar that Gill had a splendid England Test tour and therefore straightaway deserves a vice-captain spot in the Asia Cup T20 squad was found lacking all bases by former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar.
He tore into Agarkar for making rudimentary errors in his analysis of players and formats.
“I've seen over the years, not recently, this tendency of selectors to pick a player on performances of one format, where that person is accepted and picking him for another format. When I see a player getting rewarded for his Test match performances by a player in the T20 side, I just find that devoid of cricketing logic. It just doesn't make any sense,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Saying that while selectors were previously right in not picking Shreyas because he did not give due respect to domestic cricket, the former Mumbai captain said that they have now wronged him by not picking him when he has performed and respected the game at all levels.
“With an average of over 50, a strike rate of over 170, plus being the game-changer in the side with the bat, and he gets rewarded with non-selection?,” Manjrekar questioned.
“A player who's put in one of the best performances ever in the last few months in a format for which the Indian team is being selected, you leave him out, perhaps for a guy who has excelled in a completely different format, Test cricket? I think the selection these days of the squad and the playing 11 in Indian cricket hasn't been great,” he added.
The 60-year-old, who represented India in 37 Tests and 74 ODIs, said that India might do well in the Asia Cup, but that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t point out what is wrong.
“India played so well in England, and there is a great possibility they might do so again in this Asia Cup. But what is wrong is wrong. And I think Iyer has been seriously wronged by the selectors,” he said.
India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a group stage match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 10.