Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has called for more transparency in team selections for major tournaments after the recent team announcement for the Asia Cup 2025.
The exclusions of Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal ahs created a lot of uproar on social media and among fans of Indian cricket. Former Indian cricketers also spoke in favour of selection for both these talented cricketers.
The Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee announced a squad of 20 players for the Asia Cup. Iyer not only missed out on a spot in the 15, but he was not included among the backups.
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People Who Deserve Opportunities Are Not Getting Them -Manoj Tiwary
Meanwhile, multiple players have been picked for a specific role despite similar players being part of the main squad. Fans are questioning the selection of Shivam Dube in the main squad, with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel part of the squad as well. Meanwhile, Dhruv Jurel was selected as the backup keeper with Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma already part of the squad. Tiwary’s comments on the team selection came after Iyer and Jaiswal were axed from the 15-member squad.
“People who deserve opportunities are not getting them. That is why I have long been saying that selection meetings should be live telecast so that sports enthusiasts understand why a player is chosen and why another is not. Simply coming to a press conference, offering a line or two about an exclusion, and then doing something different is not right,” Tiwary told ANI news agency.
Both Iyer and Jaiswal made a strong case for their selection for the Asia Cup. Iyer scored 604 runs for Punjab Kings in IPL 2025 as they took them to the final. He scored his runs at a strike rate of 175. Meanwhile, Jaiswal was part of India’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad as the backup opener and hence was expected to be picked in terms of consistency.
“Two deserving candidates, Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal, have missed out. If you look at old interviews of Gautam Gambhir, he said Yashasvi Jaiswal is a player who cannot be left out of T20 cricket. Now, with Gambhir himself as coach, Yashasvi still has no place. “Also, if you consider the performances of Shreyas Iyer over the past year — in the IPL and domestic cricket — and the way he has captained, it is surprising he has not been selected. The way he led in the IPL makes it even more eye-opening that he is absent from the squad” Tiwary added.
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BCCI Invites Applications For Two Vacant Positions For National Selector
Soon after India’s Asia Cup squad was announced, the BCCI decided to axe two members of the national selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar. The board has also invited applications for the two vacant positions.
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