'Might win Asia Cup with this team but not T20 World Cup' - Selection of three undeserving cricketers questioned by World Cup winner
"Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away?" Kris Srikkanth asked.
The 15-member Indian cricket squad for the 2025 Asia Cup, which begins on September 9, has received mixed reactions from fans as well as former players. Almost all cricket experts are convinced that two players - Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal - deserved spots.
While Jaiswal was picked among the five reserve players, Iyer was completely overlooked. 1983 World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth said that he finds the selection of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana perplexing in the Asia Cup squad.
The former BCCI chief selector said that India might win the Asia Cup with the squad that they have picked, but it might not help their cause in next year's T20 World Cup.
"We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch," said Srikkanth on his YouTube channel.
"Are you going to take this team to the World Cup? Is this the preparation for the T20 World Cup, which is hardly six months away? They have gone backwards. Axar Patel has been axed from vice-captaincy. I don't know how Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana have come in. IPL is considered the main criteria for selection, but the selectors seem to have considered performances before that," he added.
Rinku had a brilliant start to his T20 career for the Indian team. However, his performances have dipped alarmingly. Even in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rinku's performances have spiralled. In IPL 2025, the southpaw scored just 206 runs in 13 matches at an average of 29.43.
Dube didn't have a great outing in the T20 World Cup last year. Apart from an important cameo in the final, the Mumbai all-rounder failed to make a mark. He blew hot and cold during IPL 2025, scoring 357 runs in 14 matches at an average of 32.45 and a strike rate of 132.22.
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Harshit Rana, on the other hand, has played just one T20I so far. He picked up 15 wickets from 13 games in IPL 2025 but conceded runs at an economy rate of 10.18. However, he has been in fine form in the ongoing Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025, having bagged 11 wickets in seven matches at an average of 19.18.
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