“They play for the team” - Ravichandran Ashwin speaks on Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s exclusion

The Indian team for the Asia cup 2025 was announced on August 19. 15 member squad was announced by the board of control for cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee in the presence of T20I captain Surya Kumar Yadav. There were several new inclusions in the squad, the likes of Shubman Gill and Harshit Rana were inducted in the squad, but there were exclusions too in the squad. The likes of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal couldn't make it into the squad.

Just after the squad was released on August 19 several fans on Twitter raised apprehensions as to why Shreyas and Jaiswal were not included in the squad. Despite having a tremendous track record playing match winning knocks for the Indian team the players were left out. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin spoke about the issue extensively. He said that Shreyas and Jaiswal play for the team rather than playing for themselves. He added that they don't worry about the individual milestone when it comes to playing for the team and the same perspective has become a roadblock for them to get into the T20 squad.

Read More: BCCI selector reveals India's probable opening combination for Asia Cup 2025

“Players like Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal are rare. These are the kind of players who don’t play for themselves, they play for the team, they look at the strike rate. But if I were Shreyas or Jaiswal, next time I wouldn’t take that kind of risk. I would play for myself & my records, because now I have to save my own spot in the team,” said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.

Shreyas Iyer has a proven track record 

It's worth noting that Shreyas Iyer was part of Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025. He was bought for 25 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction and he led the team to the final as the team lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final. In IPL 2024 he captained Kolkata Knight Riders, and the team won the trophy under his captaincy. He also led Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy and won the title.

On the other hand, Jaiswal has been part of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and he has batted stupendously while opening for Rajasthan Royals. He was also included in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad, but he didn't get to play a single match in the tournament. Both the players have done really well whenever they are provided with the opportunities, but the Indian management couldn't fit those players into the squad as of now due to strong bench strength.