“That only creates controversy, which the players don’t need” - Sunil Gavaskar opens up on Asia Cup 2025 squad selection

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has opened up on the Indian opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal not getting picked in the Asia Cup 2025 squad. Speaking on India Today, Gavaskar said that only XI players can be picked in a match and only 15 can be picked in the squad.

Speaking about his T20I record, Jaiswal has played 22 T20Is, accumulating 723 runs at an average of 36.15 and a strike rate of 164.31 with a century and five half-centuries. In IPL 2025, he amassed 559 runs from 14 innings at an average of 43 with six half-centuries.

“You can only pick XI in the match and you can only pick 15 in the squad. Somebody has to miss out, that’s just one of those in Indian cricket. No point in discussing whether A or B or C should’ve been there. This is now our team. We can all have our opinions before the selection committee picks the team but once the team is picked, we should back it fully. We shouldn’t be saying A should’ve been there or B should’ve been there. That only creates controversy, which the players don’t need,” Gavaskar told India Today.

Moreover, Gavaskar also talked about Shubman Gill making his comeback to the Indian T20I team as a deputy to Suryakumar Yadav, adding that we cannot exclude a player in that kind of form. Notably, Gill is coming into Asia Cup on the back of an exceptional series against England.

“Not surprising at all. He (Shubman Gill) scored over 750 runs just a couple of weeks ago. You cannot exclude a player in that kind of form. Also, he has done really well in the IPL, which concluded just before the tour to England. It’s a very good inclusion. Giving him the vice-captaincy is also a way of telling him that in the future, he could be leading the T20 side. I think it’s a very, very good selection,” Gavaskar said.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky365 and download the Sky365 App to start betting today!