BCCI Breaks Silence On Snubbing Yashasvi Jaiswal For Asia Cup 2025: "Bowling Option..."
'It's unfortunate. What Abhishek has done over the last year or so, plus giving us a bowling option, is required. One of these guys was always going to miss out," Agarkar said during the press conference.
Gill's last T20 match was against Sri Lanka at Pallekele in 2024 and he has now replaced Axar Patel as the deputy of skipper Suryakumar Yadav. The Asia Cup gets underway on September 9 in the UAE.
"Gill's form in England was something we expected but he exceeded it all," chief selector Ajit Agarkar said during the squad announcement press conference here.
There were some lingering doubts on Bumrah's availability largely due to the tournament's proximity to the home Test series against the West Indies in October.
But the selectors opted to pick him nevertheless and this will be Bumrah's first T20 tournament since last year's World Cup.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav too has been drafted in, while Jitesh Sharma will be the back-up wicketkeeper batter.
Another prominent name missing in the squad was Shreyas Iyer, who showed tremendous form while guiding Punjab Kings to the IPL final earlier this year.
Agarkar blamed it on the abundance of T20 talent that makes it difficult to accommodate him.
"We have got some serious options in T20 squad...sometimes not the easiest squad to pick but good headache to have," Agarkar said.
India is placed in Group A of the Asia Cup alongside Pakistan, Oman, and the UAE.
India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Abhishek Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.
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Hindustan Times
a few seconds ago
- Hindustan Times
Big cricket talent pool and jockeying for India team spots
Mumbai: Before Shreyas Iyer's non-selection in India's T20 Asia Cup squad, Kuldeep Yadav not finding a place in the Test playing eleven in the England series was the topic of much debate in Indian cricket. Such is the amount of talent that is being churned out in the country season after season that the level of competition for spots in the Indian sides has reached unprecedented levels. Punjab Kings' captain Shreyas Iyer during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final. (PTI) The demands on cricketers trying to establish themselves in the national side is huge. It is not just about breaking the door down at the domestic level to win selection. Staying there is a massive challenge. There are many names that have missed out on the Asia Cup squad despite being as good as those who have been included. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prasidh Krishna and KL Rahul can walk into any international T20 side. The point is all of them had got their chances in the India team but are yet to establish themselves. One great example for an Indian cricketer is Sunil Gavaskar. He has often emphasised in TV commentary that the onus is on a player to make himself undroppable. The Indian batting legend had gone out and done exactly that by scoring 774 runs in his debut Test series. Once he made the break, he ensured he stayed there, maintaining consistency, and finishing his 125-Test career across 15 years with a brilliant 96. If that is the kind of commitment international sport demanded during his time, the IPL-fuelled explosion of talent now makes it many times harder. Once you lose your spot for whatever reason, then it is not the same, says former chief selector Kiran More. 'Everyone is given a chance, if somebody is deserving the selectors will go out of the way to create a chance for you – 'this boy is good, he has the potential, let's give him an opportunity'. You have to grab it with both hands. If you don't, then there is a question mark all the time (against his name),' says the former India wicketkeeper. Pant is an example of a player who can walk into any team, but he was not in the ODI XI at the Champions Trophy and in the T20 squad. 'If you miss the opportunity, there are people who are waiting. Once you establish yourself then nobody can touch you. Every match, day-and-night, you have to perform. It is tough competition so you have to be ready, can't relax.' Apart from talent and technical skills, for the selectors it comes down to many things – hunger to perform, professionalism and ambition. Test skipper Shubman Gill is a classic example of ambition. His aim is to break records, be rated as among the best batters in the world. Compare Gill to his India Under-19 captain, Prithvi Shaw. In the junior days, Shaw was ahead. He got his India debut ahead of Gill, but a lack of ambition and discipline derailed his India career. He is again trying to rebuild his career. Indian cricket challenges you in many ways. Karun Nair, Kuldeep and Sanju Samson, in different formats, are examples of players who missed their first opportunities to cement their places. As seen in Nair's case, it is never easy to make your way back again. He had to wait for eight years, going through the grind of Ranji Trophy to break the door open for a Test comeback. The recent Test series in England was again a chance frittered away as Nair got only one half-century in four matches and eight innings. Due to the impetus provided by IPL, the competition is intense in the T20 side. After being in and out of the T20 side, Kuldeep seemed to have established himself with the 2024 World Cup win. However, a long lay-off due to groin injury kept him out since then. Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy came in and performed impressively against South Africa (12 wickets in 4 games) and England (14 wickets in 5 games). Kuldeep now faces tough competition from Chakravarthy for a spot in the playing XI. The most challenging part is when you are targetted by the opposition for a chink in your game. After a brilliant show in South Africa, where he hit two hundreds, Samson's T20 career seemed to have taken off. Against England at home, however, fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood gave him a tough time, cramping him up with short-pitched bowling. He is no more a certainty in the playing XI with Gill likely to be preferred as opener in the Asia Cup. When he lost his T20 place after the 2023 series against Australia, Shreyas Iyer also was seen as having difficulty putting away short bowling. The 30-year-old Mumbai player worked on it and batted impressively against fast bowlers in the ICC Champions Trophy and the last IPL, but he couldn't convince the selectors to be picked ahead of young Tilak Varma for Asia Cup. More says the selectors mainly go with the call of the captain and coach. 'It is a good headache (having a vast talent pool). It is not just the Asia Cup, there's future planning as well. The important thing is what the coach and captain wants – 95 to 99 per cent they are given the players they want. That is what goes inside the selection meeting room. It is a pressure job. You get criticism here and there but you can't please everyone.'
The Hindu
a few seconds ago
- The Hindu
The twin sheikhs of tweak in India's title defence
Throughout the recently concluded Test tour of England, the one popular refrain was: Where is Kuldeep? In their collective wisdom, skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir decided that Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist-spinner, had to be sacrificed at the altar of batting depth. There was a strong case for the 30-year-old starting the series at Headingley, which hosted the first of five Tests. But once the management group opted for Shardul Thakur because he provided an additional batting resource lower down the order, it was pretty much certain that Kuldeep would only ferry drinks. Extraordinary collapses in the two innings of seven for 41 and six for 31 respectively merely solidified the resolve of the think-tank to stick to the batting depth philosophy. It's another matter that despite scoring more than 800 runs and boasting five centuries across the two innings, India failed to defend a target of 371, England racing to a commanding five-wicket victory on a flatbed that made even Jasprit Bumrah appear ordinary. Kuldeep's ability to make things happen even on the most placid of tracks was sorely missed, but more than the bowling, India were obsessed with their batting. An eventual scoreline of 2-2 and a shared series might suggest that the ends justified the means, but who's to say that we wouldn't have had a different, more exciting story to tell had the man from Kanpur been unleashed on the Englishmen, who don't possess the reputation of being the most comfortable against wrist spin. Having been hailed as India's No. 1 spinner overseas – indeed, everywhere – by then head coach Ravi Shastri after his five-wicket haul in the Sydney Test of January 2019, Kuldeep has only played seven Tests subsequently in six and a half years. But there is no disputing his pre-eminence in white-ball cricket. In 113 One-Day Internationals, he boasts 181 wickets, tasting success every 5.1 overs; 40 Twenty20 Internationals have yielded 69 wickets at an economy of 6.77 and a strike-rate of 12.4 deliveries per wicket. These are exceptional numbers, especially given how batter-friendly the conditions and the rules have been in T20s, particularly, illustrating how crucial Kuldeep is to India's plans in limited-overs play. To have Kuldeep alone in his ranks is a massive plus for Suryakumar Yadav, who will lead India's title defence at the T20 Asia Cup in the UAE next month. To also be able to call on the versatility of Varun Chakaravarthy is a terrific luxury. Unlike Kuldeep, who made his India debut as a 22-year-old in March 2017, Varun was a month shy of his 30th birthday when he won his maiden India cap, in a T20I against Sri Lanka in July 2021. After playing six matches in three and a half months, including at the T20 World Cup in the UAE in October-November that same year, he was left out owing to lack of returns – his promise didn't translate to more than two wickets in those six outings, and he went wicketless at the desert misadventure. Jettisoned summarily, Varun went back to the drawing board, worked relentlessly on adding to his repertoire, came back rejuvenated with a bushel of wickets in the IPL across two seasons and earned a comeback after three years, last October. Since there, there has been no stopping the 33-year-old. He has been a grand wicket-taker in T20s – in his last 12 matches, he has amassed 31 scalps – and was belatedly inducted into the squad for the 50-over Champions Trophy, also in the UAE, this February-March. That move, orchestrated jointly by captain Rohit Sharma, Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar, proved to be a masterstroke. Despite playing just three of India's five matches, Varun emerged as the team's highest wicket-taker – and the second highest in the tournament, behind Kiwi Matt Henry – with nine sticks. His assortment of the leg-break and the googly, both delivered without too much telegramming, befuddled all-comers as he spearheaded a wonderful spin display from the Indians, for whom Varun's wrist-spinning twin, Kuldeep, weighed in with seven wickets. Control and penetration It is to this duo that Suryakumar will look for control and penetration at the Asia Cup. While it is true that India are the defending champions of the tournament, following their one-sided decimation of Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo in September 2023, that event was a 50-over affair designed as the final competitive preparatory exercise for the 50-over World Cup in India. The last time the Asia Cup was played in the T20 format was in August-September 2022, just ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia. India failed to advance past the Super 4 stage, losing to both Pakistan and Sri Lanka – who contested the final – as their consolation win against Afghanistan counted for nothing. That tournament was also staged in the UAE; a return to the scene of their recent triumph, but also a venue where they haven't had a lot of joy in T20s, should drive Kuldeep and Varun to reprise their Champions Trophy heroics, a must if India are to bury past disappointments in the desert sand. Before the Asia Cup in 2022, India had suffered an embarrassing first-round elimination in the T20 World Cup in 2021. After just two matches, their campaign was in shambles. India lost to Pakistan in a World Cup game of any variety for the first time (by ten wickets) and then succumbed to New Zealand a week later; they still had a few games left but their challenge was effectively over as they hit a new low in the 20-over format. It's unlikely that the weight of history will hang heavily over the heads of Suryakumar and his colleagues. So much cricket is played these days that even last week is a distant memory. To expect today's cricketers to recall depressing events of three and four years past is a little too much, given how proficient they have become at talking about the virtues of 'staying in the present'. As such, it is the present – and a little bit of the future – that will be uppermost on their minds when they emplane for Dubai. The present, of course, is the Asia Cup. The future is the T20 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka in February-March. It doesn't need reiteration that India are the defending champions, or that spin will have a big say at the World Cup. The first step towards fine-tuning preps for the mega event will be taken at the Asia Cup, and the rest of the world will watch with keen interest how India's two wrist-spinning destroyers stack up. The dynamics of the 20-over game are constantly evolving with bowlers having to dig deep and keep adding to their armoury to defeat the marauding intent of batters emboldened by small boundaries and immense power that allow them to overcome the occasional challenges of slow turners. Bowlers who have allowed the grass to grow under their feet have been found out and consigned to the outer, while those that have reinvented themselves and discovered ways and means of overcoming the huge odds stacked against them have found life a little easier. Wrist-spinners have increasingly started to hold their own, contrary to fears a few years back that the 20-over format would sound their death knell. Most teams have one quality wristie in their midst; India have two which, coupled with the nature of the pitches in the Emirates, should give them an edge even before a ball is bowled. Kuldeep and Varun complement, rather than compete with, each other. They are at that stage of their respective careers where there isn't any insecurity – at least as far as the white ball is concerned, in Kuldeep's case – and each is comfortable in his own skin. Both understand the value of partnership bowling; sometimes, the pressure imposed by one brings the other wickets because that is the very nature of the sport. They have been around this set-up long enough to know that individual success is secondary to the team's cause, but that doesn't mean they will stop looking for wickets because that is their very job profile. Unfathomable puzzle While there is still an element of 'mystery' to Varun, Kuldeep is more unconventional than mysterious. Left-arm wrist-spin is still a novelty though international cricket is nearly 150 years old; left-arm wrist-spin delivered with the felicity that Kuldeep has mastered is an unfathomable puzzle to most batters, and more so in the game of 120 deliveries where there is no option of playing one bowler out. Kuldeep has showcased his nous in winkling batters out even when they adopt a defensive mien; when batters come at him more on a wing and a prayer, he can be lethal. Varun is currently sitting fourth in the ICC rankings for T20I bowlers. If Kuldeep, the world No. 3 ODI bowler, comes in only at a modest No. 36 in the T20I charts, it's entirely because he hasn't played an international 20-over match since June last year, in the final of the World Cup. Over the winter, when India defeated Bangladesh, South Africa and England, he was recovering from surgery for sports hernia and even though he is coming in cold, he bowled enough at nets in England to shake off any rust that might have accumulated after the IPL. In Varun's case, there was the Tamil Nadu Premier League that allowed him to build on the momentum he had generated with Kolkata Knight Riders at IPL 2025. Without picking up a bagful of wickets, he looked in good rhythm as his team, Dindigul Dragons, made it to the title round. The subsequent month and a half should have allowed him to work on his bowling and his fitness, which isn't necessarily his greatest asset, understandable because of how late he forayed into competitive cricket. T20 games are generally won the back of muscular batting, more than anything else; India have the batting firepower, but they also possess two sheikhs of tweak itching to make batters dance to their tune. It should make for fascinating viewing, at the very least.
Indian Express
a few seconds ago
- Indian Express
Online gaming bill set to end ‘easy money' source for sports
Over the last decade, the Indian sports ecosystem has become increasingly dependent on the money flowing in from real-money fantasy gaming platforms. Nearly half a dozen mainstream sports and professional leagues relied on their money to run the daily operations, even if partially. Their logos were plastered on the t-shirts of the teams in the Indian Premier League, football's Indian Super League, the kabaddi league and, of course, the Indian cricket team. The players who wore those shirts were named as the brand ambassadors. And broadcasters roped them in as key sponsors. With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, now headed to President Droupadi Murmu's desk for her assent — after it was passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday followed by the Rajya Sabha on Thursday — the future of online gaming companies, as well as the sports, teams, players, and broadcasters that rely on them for sponsorship, looks shaky. It is learnt that the companies — individually or collectively — are likely to approach the courts. In a letter to the Home Ministry on Tuesday the E-Gaming Federation (EGF), All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) and Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports (FIFS) said that the blanket prohibition will 'strike a death knell for this legitimate, job creating industry, and would cause serious harm to Indian users and citizens'. The government cited risks of psychological distress, financial loss, money laundering and even financing of terrorism as reasons to prohibit the 'harmful' real-money gaming services. It went on to cite the 'threat to national security' as another reason to take the step. 'Unchecked expansion of online money gaming services has been linked to unlawful activities including financial fraud, money-laundering, tax evasion and in some cases, the financing of terrorism, thereby posing threats to national security, public order and the integrity of the State.' Nandan Kamath, a prominent sports lawyer, called the Bill — 'which came more or less out of the left field' — a turning point 'not just for the gaming ecosystem but also for the Indian sports ecosystem that lies downstream, benefitting through direct and indirect and induced revenues from the gaming as well as offshore betting sector'. An ISL club official, requesting anonymity, added: 'For the last few years, this has been easy money for the teams, leagues and players. The offshore sports betting companies were looking for a foothold in the Indian market and, through surrogates, splurged money on marketing campaigns and everyone benefitted from it. Now, we anticipate a short-term impact.' Although they were provided the shelter after being classified as a 'game of skill', the real-money fantasy gaming platforms have for years operated in a legal grey area. For, they promoted a business that, though legal, was similar to sports gambling, which is banned in India, in many ways because contestants can make money by predicting players' performances. Fantasy gaming requires its customers to select a playing XI of professional players and compete against each other using statistics from a live match. The websites charge a fee for entering a team, and the contestants — who have to submit their PAN card, bank details and other personal information — win or lose money based on real-life performances of players. The Bill added: 'Such games often use manipulative design features, addictive algorithms, bots and undisclosed agents, undermining fairness, transparency and user protection, while promoting compulsive behaviour leading to financial ruin.' There has been a sharp rise in the number of real-money fantasy gaming platforms, which now goes well into triple digits. But Dream11 is the biggest, with a valuation of $8 billion, according to Bloomberg. Dream11 is the Board of Control for Cricket in India's lead sponsor, acquiring the three-year rights for Rs 358 crore. Similarly, My11Circle paid Rs 625 crore for a five-year right to be the IPL's official fantasy sports partner. Kamath said the companies can still continue their association with the teams and leagues by changing their business models. However, identifying a similar, successful revenue stream — which was until now driven by entry fees paid by a user for entering a competition — to ensure sustainability remains an issue. The rise of the real-money fantasy gaming platforms has coincided with the proliferation of sports betting companies in the Indian market. And while the real-money fantasy gaming platforms were caught by surprise with the government's decision, the offshore sports betting companies have been on the radar for a while. Earlier this month, the Enforcement Directorate grilled former cricketer Suresh Raina for eight hours in an 'alleged illegal betting app-linked money-laundering case'. Raina was questioned in a case linked to 1xBet, a controversial offshore betting website. In 2019, a Sunday Times investigation revealed that 1xBet's 'brand had been used to promote betting on children's sports, cockfighting and a 'pornhub' casino with topless women dealing the cards.' It led to Britain's Gambling Commission blacklisting the website, and top football clubs that compete in the English Premier League were forced to terminate their sponsorship contracts. Two years later, in October 2021, the online bookmaker was banned in Russia, where it was founded, adding to the growing list of countries that had blacklisted the firm. The other nations included the USA, Cyprus and the Netherlands while, according to Spanish daily AS, the company was also fined in countries like Kenya, Poland, Israel, and the Netherlands for violating laws. In India, betting companies like 1xBet, Dafabet and FairPlay have tried to gain a foothold by operating under the banner of a 'professional sportsblog' to circumvent the rules. Through the surrogate operation, they launched a marketing blitzkrieg and sponsored live broadcasts of matches as well as teams across different leagues.
