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India Today
12 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Shreyas Iyer's Asia Cup 2025 snub leaves former Indian selector baffled
Former Indian selector Salil Ankola voiced his frustration after Shreyas Iyer was left out of India's squad for the Asia Cup 2025. Despite his consistent performances across formats over the past year, the Mumbai batter failed to make it into the 15-member squad or even in the list of had an outstanding IPL 2025 season for the eventual runners-up, Punjab Kings. But now he finds himself waiting for another opportunity to represent India in the shortest surprising and shocking that proven performers like Iyer and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal are not in India's Asia Cup squad while others who have just come in have found a place. I'm baffled that Shreyas hasn't been picked even in the five-man list of reserves despite doing well in the IPL this year," Ankola told Mumbai Mirror. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained that Iyer's exclusion wasn't due to any fault of his own but insisted that the batter would need to wait for his turn.'It's not his fault, nor ours- it's just that only 15 can be picked, and at the moment, he has to wait for his chances,' Agarkar Ankola disagreed with the decision and criticised the selection committee for overlooking a proven performer like in prime form in IPL 2025Shreyas Iyer was at his absolute best in IPL 2025, where he smashed 604 runs across 17 innings at an average of 50.33, and a strike-rate of 175.07. He also scored six half-centuries in the tournament, which guided his team to their second IPL final in 10 in the 2024 season, he was also the captain that led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title as 29-year-old last played a T20I for India in November 2023 and was also excluded from the BCCI's central contracts list for 2023-24. Since then, he has been in fine form, helping Mumbai win the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for his domestic exploits coupled with his IPL performances, he made his return to the BCCI's annual retainership after playing a key role in India's Champions Trophy title-run in 2025, making his exclusion for the Asia Cup all the the more far, he has represented India in 51 T20Is so far, scoring 1104 runs at an average of 30.66, including eight fifties. With his recent form and experience, many believe he still deserves a place in the national side, and if not, should have surely been a part of the squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku SinghStandby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Ghavri, Ankola impressed with young talent in Bihar
The first day of the second phase of "Search for Bowlers" trials, organized by Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), was successfully conducted at Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in Patna on Friday under the watchful eyes of former cricketers Karsan Ghavri and Salil Ankola . Both took part in the selection process to assess the skills of budding talents from across the state. Out of more than 400 participants, a total of 76 bowlers were shortlisted on the day, including 65 male and 11 female bowlers. "These children have so much potential that they can progress significantly. It's not necessary that only 20 children have talent; the others also have good abilities and can advance. However, the game isn't the same as it used to be. It involves discipline, hard-work, and playing lots of matches. Every player needs to be a performer," Ghavri said on the sidelines of scouting event. "Many good players can be seen at the nets, but the true player is the one who performs well under pressure during a match. The initiative taken by BCA is a great step and it will be very beneficial in the future. The selected children will also ensure that you have fast bowlers and spinners in the pipeline, so you won't need to search elsewhere," added Ghavri, who has played 39 Tests. Former India selector Ankola also highlighted the advancement of scope and opportunity these days. "Talented bowlers need to work hard, and if they get a chance, it opens a path for them. It helps to understand how we grew up. In the late 1980s, we were like 18 or 19 years old, and there wasn't much available. We didn't know what to do. We used to chop wood and do things ourselves. We didn't realize how proper training was done," said Ankola. The final selection of players will take place during the concluding trial scheduled on Saturday. The final phase, which was originally scheduled to be held on May 11 and 12, was postponed for the safety of players, officials, and all stakeholders in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack.
