The announcement of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad brought elation for some and heartbreak for others. While fresh faces and in-form stars sealed their places, a few high-profile names — despite strong credentials — found themselves sidelined.
Here are the five big omissions that have sparked debate:
Shreyas Iyer: Runs, leadership, but no ticket
Shreyas Iyer’s absence is perhaps the most talked-about. Having last played a T20I in 2023 against Australia, his recent IPL heroics were expected to open the door for a comeback. Iyer piled up 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175, even guiding his franchise to the final. Yet, the selectors looked elsewhere, leaving one of India’s most prolific run-getters on the bench.
| Shreyas Iyer batting career record | ||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Balls faced | Highest score | Average | Strike Rate | Not out | Fours | Sixes | Fifties | Hundreds |
| Test | 14 | 24 | 811 | 1287 | 105 | 36.86 | 63.02 | 2 | 94 | 16 | 5 | 1 |
| ODI | 70 | 65 | 2845 | 2845 | 128 | 48.22 | 100 | 6 | 262 | 72 | 22 | 5 |
| T20 | 51 | 47 | 1104 | 811 | 74 | 30.67 | 136.13 | 11 | 90 | 44 | 8 | 0 |
| IPL | 132 | 132 | 3731 | 2798 | 97 | 34.23 | 133.35 | 23 | 314 | 152 | 27 | 0 |
Yashasvi Jaiswal: From World Cup reserve to Asia Cup reject
The omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal raised eyebrows, too. The young left-hander was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2024 as a reserve opener, but failed to find a place this time. He ended IPL 2025 as Rajasthan Royals’ highest scorer with 559 runs at 43.00 and a strike rate of 159.71, numbers that seemed enough to warrant inclusion. Still, his name was missing when the final 15 were revealed. However, he is among the five players named as standbys for the continental tournament.
| Yashasvi Jaiswal batting career record | |||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Balls faced | Highest score | Average | Strike Rate | Not out | Fours | Sixes | Fifties | Hundreds | Double hundreds |
| Test | 24 | 46 | 2209 | 3336 | 214 | 50.2 | 66.22 | 2 | 270 | 43 | 12 | 6 | 2 |
| ODI | 1 | 1 | 15 | 22 | 15 | 15 | 68.19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 23 | 22 | 723 | 440 | 100 | 36.15 | 164.32 | 2 | 82 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| IPL | 66 | 66 | 2166 | 1417 | 124 | 34.38 | 152.86 | 3 | 258 | 92 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
Washington Sundar: The surprise exclusion
All-rounder Washington Sundar’s exclusion came as a shock. With his ability to control games with the ball and contribute handy runs, Sundar was seen as a natural fit in the UAE conditions. His recent showing in the Test series against England only underlined his growing maturity, but the selectors chose to go in a different direction.
| Washington Sundar batting career record | ||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Runs | Balls faced | Highest score | Average | Strike Rate | Not out | Fours | Sixes | Fifties | Hundreds |
| Test | 13 | 24 | 752 | 1607 | 101 | 44.24 | 46.8 | 7 | 67 | 17 | 5 | 1 |
| ODI | 23 | 15 | 329 | 394 | 51 | 23.5 | 83.51 | 1 | 24 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| T20 | 54 | 22 | 193 | 159 | 50 | 13.79 | 121.39 | 8 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| IPL | 66 | 45 | 511 | 405 | 49 | 15.97 | 126.18 | 13 | 42 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Sundar Bowling Career Summary | ||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Balls bowled | Runs conceded | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | Best Bowling in innings | Best Bowling in Match | Five-wicket haul | 10-wicket haul |
| Test | 13 | 22 | 1618 | 911 | 32 | 28.47 | 3.38 | 50.56 | 7/59 | 11/115 | 1 | 1 |
| ODI | 23 | 20 | 828 | 669 | 24 | 27.88 | 4.85 | 34.5 | 3/30 | 3/30 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 54 | 52 | 975 | 1128 | 48 | 23.5 | 6.94 | 20.31 | 3/15 | 3/15 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 66 | 63 | 1119 | 1436 | 39 | 36.82 | 7.7 | 28.69 | 3/16 | 3/16 | 0 | 0 |
Prasidh Krishna’s case adds to the intrigue. The pacer was in outstanding form during IPL 2025, finishing as the Purple Cap holder with 25 wickets from 15 matches. He also featured in the Test series against England, proving his versatility across formats. Still, despite being one of the most lethal new-ball bowlers this season, he finds no mention in India’s Asia Cup squad.
| Prasidh Krishna bowling stats | ||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Balls bowled | Runs conceded | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | Best Bowling in innings | Best Bowling in Match | 5w | 10w |
| Test | 6 | 11 | 960 | 756 | 22 | 34.36 | 4.72 | 43.64 | 4/62 | 8/188 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 17 | 17 | 794 | 742 | 29 | 25.59 | 5.61 | 27.38 | 04/12/25 | 04/12/25 | 0 | 0 |
| T20 | 5 | 5 | 120 | 220 | 8 | 27.5 | 11 | 15 | 3/41 | 3/41 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 66 | 66 | 1499 | 2191 | 74 | 29.61 | 8.77 | 20.26 | 4/30 | 4/30 | 0 | 0 |
Mohammed Siraj: England hero left behind
Perhaps the biggest shock is Mohammed Siraj’s omission. The pacer played a decisive role in India’s series win against England, producing match-winning spells in the final Test. In IPL 2025, he added 16 wickets to his tally, further solidifying his reputation as a strike bowler. Yet, when the squad list was unveiled, Siraj’s name was conspicuously absent.
| Mohammed Siraj bowling stats | ||||||||||||
| Format | Matches | Innings | Balls bowled | Runs conceded | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate | Best Bowling in innings | Best Bowling in Match | Five-wicket haul | 10-wicket haul |
| Test | 41 | 76 | 6419 | 3820 | 123 | 31.06 | 3.57 | 52.19 | 6/15 | 9/190 | 5 | 0 |
| ODI | 44 | 43 | 1975 | 1708 | 71 | 24.06 | 5.19 | 27.82 | 6/21 | 6/21 | 1 | 0 |
| T20 | 16 | 16 | 348 | 452 | 14 | 32.29 | 7.79 | 24.86 | 4/17 | 4/17 | 0 | 0 |
| IPL | 108 | 108 | 2300 | 3349 | 109 | 30.72 | 8.74 | 21.1 | 4/17 | 4/17 | 0 | 0 |
The bigger picture: India T20 cricket future
The five omissions underline the abundance of talent in Indian cricket today. Iyer’s run-machine form, Jaiswal’s attacking flair, Sundar’s all-round value, Krishna’s wicket-taking consistency, and Siraj’s Test-match heroics would walk into most teams. But India’s selectors opted for balance, versatility, and present team combinations over reputations.
As the Asia Cup approaches, the debate will rage on: did India leave too much talent on the sidelines, or is this the price of having a talent pool that runs deeper than ever before?