Former India opener and chief selector Kris Srikkanth has come down strongly on the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee following the announcement of India’s squad for the T20 Asia Cup 2025. According to him, the selectors have failed to give due importance to Indian Premier League (IPL) performances while choosing the team.
Srikkanth expressed disappointment over the decision to remove Axar Patel from the role of vice-captain. He also questioned the inclusion of pacer Harshit Rana, finisher Rinku Singh and batting all-rounder Shivam Dube in the squad. While acknowledging that this side may be capable of clinching the Asia Cup, he believes this combination is not strong enough to go on and win the T20 World Cup in 2026.
“We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch. Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away?” Srikkanth remarked on his YouTube channel Cheeky Chakka.
He further added, “They have gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice-captaincy. I don’t know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criteria for selection, but the selectors seem to have considered performances before that.”
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Why Shubman Gill was named vice-captain
“In my opinion, the last time Shubman Gill played a T20I for India was when we went to Sri Lanka. When I was leading, he was the vice-captain. That’s where we started the new cycle for the T20 World Cup. After that, he got busy with all the Test series. He didn’t get an opportunity to play T20Is because he was busy with Test cricket and the Champions Trophy,” Suryakumar Yadav explained.
India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025
Main squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Standby players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal
This selection has already sparked significant debate, with former cricketers and analysts divided on whether IPL form should remain the primary yardstick for international selection.
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