Yashasvi Jaiswal had scored 120 runs more than Abhishek Sharma in Ithe PL 2025.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the 15-member squad for the eagerly anticipated T20 Asia Cup 2025, set to take place from September 9 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. India’s Test specialists Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav have made a comeback to the T20I team, while in-form batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has been ignored for Abhishek Sharma. With the T20 World Cup 2026 approaching quickly, India are looking to find the right combination to go with. Hence, the Asia Cup 2025 was vital for Jaiswal to bolster his case.
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When India won the T20 World Cup in 2024, Jaiswal was India’s third opener after Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, though he didn’t get a chance. Since then, India’s T20I squad selections have been massively affected by busy scheduling and forced injuries. This has led to Jaiswal missing bilateral matches, especially white-ball series, to prioritise Test cricket.
Jaiswal has been left out despite having a memorable Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. He amassed 559 runs in the IPL 2025 at an impressive strike rate of 159.71, including six half-centuries. The southpaw was exceptional, particularly in the power play, where he hit runs at 177.4, smashing a boundary every 3.1 balls.
Jaiswal displayed a nearly similar form in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy (ATT) 2025, where he racked up 411 runs with two hundreds and as many fifties. The most notable ability is to find boundaries at regular intervals to release the pressure from himself and his partner.
However, despite his staggering run since IPL 2025, the BCCI didn’t pick him in the Asia Cup squad. They went with Abhishek Sharma, who hasn’t played an international game since February this year.
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Abhishek Sharma smashed a hundred on only his second T20I appearance and hasn’t looked back since then. He has been a consistent performer for India since India’s T20 World Cup triumph. In 17 T20Is, the southpaw has amassed 535 runs, striking at 193.84, including two hundreds and as many fifties. The Punjab batter also had a modest IPL 2025 season in terms of runs, with his strike rate being the most impressive thing. He hit 439 runs in 13 innings in the IPL 2025 at a brilliant strike rate of 193.39, which is still better than Jaiswal.
“Unfortunately for Yashasvi [Jaiswal], Abhishek has done really well for India in the past, and he can bowl as well. It is quite unfortunate. We could only pick one of the two,” Agarkar revealed in the press conference.
India have been searching for a sixth bowling option for a long time, and have finally found one in Abhishek. The 24-year-old is more than a part-timer. He bowls a full quota and has over 100 wickets to his name in domestic cricket. However, he didn’t get many opportunities to roll his arm in the IPL or T20Is. The left-arm orthodox spinner has six wickets in his kitty in T20I cricket at a modest economy of 8.05. His best bowling figures of 2/3 came against England earlier this year, where he also smashed 135 off 54.
Jaiswal can also bowl leg-spin, having bowled a good amount of overs during his under-19 days. But he hasn’t bowled much at the international level. In two years since his debut in 2023, the Mumbaikar has bowled only two overs, one each in Tests and T20Is. In the IPL, the leg-spinner has bowled just one ball in six seasons. It’s the lack of exposure to bowling compared to Abhishek, more than the batting credentials, that has cost Jaiswal a place in the Asia Cup squad.
India will commence their campaign against the UAE on September 10, followed by arch-rivals Pakistan on September 14. Their last group stage game will be against Oman on September 19.
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, and Rinku Singh.
