Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pic Credits: X
Yashasvi Jaiswal. Pic Credits: X
Cricket Asia Cup 2025

Asia Cup 2025 : Atul Wassan slams the management raising questions on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s omission from Asia Cup 2025

August 22, 2025
Anup Konnur

Yashasvi Jaiswal‘s non-selection in the Indian team for the 2025 Asia Cup is a decision that is baffling, and where not just merit is being ignored, but also years of precedence in Indian cricket have been broken.As Ajit Agarkar read out India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup, there was a notable absence in the form of Yashasvi Jaiswal, despite Shubman Gill making a comeback into the team and also being named vice-captain as the team draws plans for their title defence at the 2026 T20 World Cup at home.

While the focus after the announcement has been on Shreyas Iyer’s omission, and rightly so, with him not being named even in the five standbys being a baffling choice after his extraordinary displays in the 2025 Champions Trophy and the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, it is Yashasvi Jaiswal’s case that truly fails to make any sense, as this is a player who was not in the scheme of things in T20I cricket for India and has not put a foot wrong in any format for the Men in Blue since his debut two years ago.

India Breaks Years Of Precedence And Trust

Chief selector Agarkar was quick to point out that Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal were not available for the T20I selection over the last year ,which led to Sanju Samson opening the batting (alongside Abhishek Sharma). This was made clear through Gill’s comeback, but strangely, that was not the case for Yashasvi Jaiswal, despite opening the batting with the vice-captain when both of them were in the team.

Moreover, the big question is that Yashasvi Jaiswal was asked to focus on Test cricket and hence missed out on playing the T20Is. Is there any reason to suggest that had the 23-year-old played against Bangladesh and South Africa against weak bowling units on flat tracks, he would not have got the runs

While it is all good to say that Test cricket is where players build their legacy, media reports of the player being asked to focus on red-ball cricket are baffling. Yashasvi Jaiswal now finds himself behind in the race to play that T20 World Cup, which can be a tournament that can build legacies.

Later, Yashasvi Jaiswal was among a select group of players who were part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Champions Trophy, which were rested from the T20I series against England. While Yashasvi Jaiswal was denied a chance to make his case, he was later removed from the squad to make way for Varun Chakravarthy. This has meant that the youngster has lost out on a chance on both fronts.

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s T20 stats- A glimpse

It is worth noting that Jaiswal was part of India’s 2024 T20 World Cup-winning squad and only missed the playing XI due to modern-day legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli occupying the opening spots. The left-hander made the squad ahead of Shubman Gill, and at this point, someone like Abhishek Sharma had not even made his debut.
After Rohit and Virat’s retirement, it was only natural for Yashasvi Jaiswal to get a long run, and his not even making a 15-member squad despite no fault of his own is hard to understand. For years, Indian cricket has emphasised the word ‘pecking order’, which was used to justify Shreyas’ exclusion but has conveniently disappeared in Yashasvi Jaiswal’s case.
In T20I cricket, Yashasvi Jaiswal has a near-flawless record of 709 runs in 23 matches at an average of 36.15 and a stunning strike-rate of 164.31. This is significantly better than Gill, and while his strike-rate is worse off than Abhishek, the average is a larger sample size is better.

Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Abhishek Sharma vs Shubman Gill For India In T20Is

Player Matches/Innings Runs Average Strike-Rate 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 23/22 723 36.15 164.31 1 5
Shubman Gill 17/16 578 30.42 139.27 1 3
Abhishek Sharma 21/21 535 33.43 193.84 2 2
It is also worth noting that Abhishek’s numbers have mostly come from the England series; his consistency remains in doubt, as before that, he made only 36 runs in three matches against Bangladesh and 97 runs in four innings in South Africa.
While all the games Abhishek has played have been after the 2024 T20 World Cup, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Gill have played the same series (Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka), but the latter’s record stands out in this period too, with a slightly better average and their strike-rates being on different universes.

Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Shubman Gill In T20Is After the 2024 T20 WC

Player Matches/Innings Runs Average Strike-Rate 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 6/6 221 44.20 170 0 1
Shubman Gill 7/7 243 40.50 129.25 0 2
As far as recent form is considered in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), Jaiswal and Gill had similarly good seasons despite the Rajasthan Royals (RR) struggling. However, Abhishek had a poor season for large parts, which lacked consistency.
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Shubman Gill vs Abhishek Sharma in IPL 2025
Player Matches/Innings Runs Average Strike-Rate 100s 50s
Yashasvi Jaiswal 14/14 559 43 159.71 0 6
Shubman Gill 15/15 650 50 155.87 0 6
Abhishek Sharma 14/13 439 33.76 193.39 1 2

For an Indian who has for years wanted players who can play fearless cricket, Jaiswal led the change, and there remain few like him, not just in Indian cricket but around the world. The youngster is not just someone who will give runs consistently, but always at a quick strike-rate. Former Indian cricketer  Atul Wassan has expressed his dismay over Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion from the Asia Cup squad and has slammed the management on the same.

Atul Wassan slams the management raising questions on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s omission from Asia Cup 2025

Former India bowler Atul Wassan has questioned the omission of opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal from the 15-member Asia Cup 2025 squad. He said that the Mumbai batter should feel aggrieved because he was the reserve opener in India’s 2024 T20 World Cup winning squad and yet hasn’t been selected. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been named as one of the five standby players for Asia Cup 2025 that starts in the United Arab Emirates on September 7. Atul Wassan told CNN-News 18 :

“Jaiswal should be more aggrieved. Why? Jaiswal was the third opener when India won the World Cup. More than Shreyas Iyer, we should be discussing why Yashasvi Jaiswal is not in the team. Now Rohit Sharma is out, Virat Kohli is out, but Jaiswal is not in the team. Why? He has done nothing wrong.”

Indian cricket’s desire to have all-format stars is well known, which Gill’s soon-to-be appointment as captain in ODI and T20Is suggests. For that, Jaiswal is the most natural fit as a player, as he has a solid technique and an aggressive style, making him an ideal fit. Infact, the RR star is the only player in the world who features in the top 10 of the ICC Test and T20I rankings. There is little doubt that he will have a similar impact on ODI cricket too.

While someone like Gill had a questionable record in Test cricket before the England tour, Jaiswal has succeeded everywhere he has played, with 2209 runs in 24 matches at an average of 50.20 with six centuries, which shows that while world cricket is full of examples of a batter struggling to ace all formats at once, the Indian star is an exception.
Be it merit, precedence, or form, there is no argument that justifies Jaiswal not being in the team. The only reasoning that holds weight is of continuity, but Gill’s line of thought is out of the window.
While Gill is a generational talent and Abhishek offers an x-factor few do, their selections are well deserved and will give the team no issues. India’s embarrassment of riches ensures it will take a miracle for them not to win the Asia Cup and be favourites to lift the 2026 T20 World Cup.
While selection is a tough job and you have to always disappoint someone, a player of Yashasvi Jaiswal’s talent, quality, and pedigree cannot be one of them. He is among the rarest of rare players in the world who has the ability to become among the greatest batters the world has seen. Such a player needs to be treated much better by the Indian cricket system.
India will kick off their campaign against the UAE on September 10, while the high-voltage game against Pakistan is scheduled for September 14, with both fixtures set to be played in Dubai. India will play their final group stage fixture against Oman on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.

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