Follow UsYashasvi Jaiswal had an IPL 2025 to remember, as the Rajasthan Royals opener tormented bowling units, scoring 559 runs at a strike rate of 159.71. The left-hander also was a beast in the powerplay, with a strike rate of 177.4 in the first six overs, smashing a boundary every 3.1 deliveries.
Despite those impressive numbers, he couldn’t find himself a place in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which starts September 9. India’s chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, revealed Jaiswal’s omission from the setup.
“Unfortunately for Yashasvi [Jaiswal], Abhishek has done really well for India in the past, and he can bowl as well. It is quite unfortunate. We could only pick one of the two,” Agarkar revealed in the press conference.
Shreyas Iyer, too, found himself in a similar space, despite having an incredible IPL 2025, where he led the Punjab Kings to the final.
“No fault of his or ours, who do we replace in this squad? Like all the players who have missed, Shreyas Iyer has to wait for his chance. It is unfortunate,” Agarkar said.
India are travelling to Dubai with just two specialist spinners - Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy. Axar Patel will come in as the third spinner in the setup, and the playing XI, which makes no room for off-spinner Washington Sundar.
“At the moment, we have two spinners, and Axar has been around for a while. Whether we need four spinners, Washi will always come into the equation. Right now, Rinku is the spare batter in the squad, and we could only pick 15. Clearly a lot of these players have done well in the IPL as well, so you can’t ignore the tournament.”
India kick off their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the UAE, on September 10.