[WATCH] 'Selected players are bad and...'- Ishant Sharma criticizes fans' bias for unselected players

The former Indian bowler, Ishant Sharma, has criticized the fans for showing their bias towards the unselected players during any squad announcement for a series or a competition. He reckoned that selectors go through a hard job of not only picking a player but leaving a player, who is also tremendous in that very job.

During the Asia Cup 2025, many reckoned that the selectors made a wrong decision by bringing Shubman Gill into the squad while leaving Shreyas Iyer, who was in superb form during the IPL 2025 for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) with the bat and in the leadership department.

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‘See, the funda is very simple in our country. Those who get selected are bad, and those who don’t are bad. They don’t talk about those who get selected. They talked about Shreyas Iyer getting into the side, but in whose place. You can actually tell the ICC that they had more players and wanted to take 20 players in place of 15.” Ishant expressed during a recent podcast.

Watch: Ishat Sharma criticizes people’s bias for selected players

Gill smashed 35 runs in three innings during the group stage of the event, while against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage of the tournament, the right-handed batter clubbed 47 runs in Dubai. His partnership for the opening wicket with Abhishek Sharma was incredible as Ishant shed light on this discussion.

“These things are really hard to understand. Yes, you are a fan of an individual. But the most thankless job is that of a selector. Because he has undoubtedly selected one player, but the one he has left out, like Shreyas, is a class player. But again, in whose place would he come? Fans get upset, but cricket doesn’t stop for anybody.” The Delhi-born addressed.

“How can you do favoritism. Numbers are there. Those who are performing are playing, and those who don’t are not getting selected. As I said, people talk about those players who don’t get selected in the squad.” Ishant Sharma concluded that India is just one win away from qualifying for the final of the Asia Cup.