'None of your business, focus on your country' - Former legend lambasts foreign pundits for remarks on India's 2025 Asia Cup squad

Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has come out in strong criticism of foreign pundits giving opinions on India's Asia Cup 2025 squad. Gavaskar stated that foreign cricketers should stick to commenting on their own countries' squad and not add 'fuel to the fire' by getting into matters related to Indian cricket.

This comes in response to ex-cricketers commenting on certain players who they felt deserved a spot in the Asia Cup squad. Notably, India have named a 15-member squad for the tournament, which commences on September 9 in UAE.

"What is baffling is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket, and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business. They should focus on their country's cricket and let us Indians worry about our cricket. Amazingly, when their country's teams are selected, there's hardly anything, if ever, heard from them about the selection,” stated Gavaskar in his column for Sportstar.

The 76-year-old exclaimed his reasoning behind why the foreign cricketers and media comment on Indian cricket, often in a negative tone. According to him, their primary objective remains to gain views and followers by instigating the Indian cricket fraternity. 

"Today, in the days of public media, where getting views and followers is the theme, one of the fastest ways to increase the numbers is by commenting on matters Indian. And mostly, they do it negatively, so there is a huge reaction from Indian keyboard users, which in turn boosts their follower count. If you have thick skin, then all the better. That's why so many overseas cricketers have made a living by needling the Indian cricket lovers with their mostly negative comments about Indian cricket and cricketers," he remarked.

Speaking of India, the Suryakumar Yadav-led T20I unit will kickstart their Asia Cup 2025 campaign on September 10 next month. They have been slotted in Group A along with arch-rivals Pakistan, Oman and hosts United Arab Emirates.