Shreyas Iyer, Gautam Gambhir and Yashasvi Jaiswal (Source: AFP)
The exclusion of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer from India's Asia Cup squad has brought a lot of criticism for selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir. Many have blamed people in power for favouritism and using personal agendas in the selection process.
Manoj Tiwary Questions Gambhir's Double Standards
Adding to that list, the former Indian cricketer and KKR star, Manoj Tiwary, has also slammed the decision of leaving out Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. Manoj Tiwary, while speaking to ANI, mentioned that two deserving candidates have been ignored in the Asia Cup selection. He gave a reference of Gautam Gambhir's old videos where he had openly backed Yashasvi Jaiswal to play all three formats for India consistently. Tiwary questioned Gambhir's double standards by stating that now that he himself is a coach, how can he drop Yashasvi Jaiswal.
“Two deserving candidates have been left out of the team. One is Shreyas Iyer and the other is Yashasvi Jaiswal. If you see old videos of the current head coach Gautam Gambhir, he had said that Yashasvi Jaiswal is such a player who at any given moment can walk into India’s T20 team. And you cannot think of keeping him out of T20s. Now that he himself is the coach, there is no place for Yashasvi,” Manoj Tiwary said to ANI.
Ex-KKR Star Wants Selection Process To Be More Transparent
Manoj Tiwary also criticised the move to keep Shreyas Iyer out of the team despite his consistent performances in IPL and domestic cricket. He highlighted that Shreyas has been great as a leader in IPL too and his non-inclusion in the team is an eye-opener.
The ex-KKR star suggested that the selection process should be made live to bring more transparency into the system. According to Tiwary it would help sports lovers understand the logic behind the selection.
“Also, if you see Shreyas Iyer’s performance in last year’s IPL and the domestic circuit. He has been one of the bests in the format. The way he averaged in 50s while making runs, guided Punjab Kings to the IPL final and before that, captained KKR to the title, it’s an eye-opener that he didn’t get a place in the T20 side. This is why I have been saying for years now that the selection process should be made live so that sports lovers know who has been selected and why,” he added.
Thus, Gautam Gambhir has again found himself at the centre of criticism, and it would be interesting to see how India goes about its business in the Asia Cup 2025.
