Follow UsIt is no secret that Gautam Gambhir, as India’s head coach, has not really had a lot of fans. As a matter of fact, in the name of real results, he has the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as his only great success. Despite that, he remains firm in his stance on what players he likes on his side.
The recent selection of the Indian national team for the Asia Cup 2025 has once again put him under the lens. Former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has lambasted the Indian head coach for not picking Shreyas Iyer for the T20 international squad, saying that Iyer was one of the biggest reasons behind Gambhir winning silverware as coach.
"He backs the players he likes but completely lets go of those he doesn't. Gambhir's biggest achievement remains the Champions Trophy triumph, and Iyer was the biggest reason for that success. Yet, Gambhir is not backing him,” Ramesh was quoted as saying on his YouTube Channel by TOI.
“Someone like Jaiswal, who is an X-factor player, must play all formats. Keeping him on standby is a poor move," he added.
Reasoning why Iyer, who had a brilliant Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, scoring 604 runs at a brilliant average of 50 and strike rate of above 170, should have been a first choice player in the side, the 49-year-old said, "Shreyas Iyer produced incredible performances in the same UAE during the Champions Trophy and should be a permanent fixture in India's white-ball teams.”
“Players must be backed when they are high on confidence and in form, not when they fade away. This is the ideal time to reap the rewards of Iyer's sky-high confidence."
Ramesh, who played 19 Tests and 24 ODIs for the Indian team, also said that a drawn series in England was being celebrated as a win, and that remains Gambhir’s biggest achievement.
“Winning consistently abroad had started long back under Kohli and Shastri. But now, just the drawn series in England is being projected as a big achievement in Gambhir's track record," Ramesh said.
India did not pick Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas in the T20I squad despite a great showing in IPL 2025. The Men in Blue will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the UAE on September 10.