• Source:JND
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India Asia Cup 2025 Squad: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali was left stunned by India's Asia Cup squad selection, especially with the omission of Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami from the 15-player group for the marquee event.

The most notable absentees from India's 15-man Asia Cup squad were Iyer and Jaiswal. At the same time, the star opener was included as a reserve, but Iyer wasn't even part of the five-member reserve list.

The omission of Iyer, who had an impressive IPL 2025 campaign, where he masterminded Punjab Kings' maiden final appearance in 11 years, after a crown-winning stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, has sparked debate among former cricketers and pundits.

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Iyer's stellar form was on open display in 2025, finishing the tournament as the sixth-highest run-scorer with 604 runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 175.07.

Jaiswal's explosive IPL 2025 campaign and 723 runs in 23 T20Is failed to make a strong case for his inclusion in the main squad; however, he was named among the reserve players for the Asia Cup.

"Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami agar Pakistan mein hote na ye log A category mey hote (These would have been in Pakistan's A category)," Basit Ali told Kamran Akmal on a YouTube show "Game Time."

"Iyer ke saad jyadati ho gayi hai. Unko team mey hona chahiye (It was unfortunate that Shreyas Iyer has not been picked)," he said.

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Ali also tipped India to lift the Asia Cup title, believing that only Sri Lanka have the capability of mounting a serious challenge to Men In Blue's dominance in the tournament.

"They have got a very explosive squad and I think only Sri Lanka can compete with them," he added.

Suryakumar Yadav-led India will start their Asia Cup campaign on 10 September against the UAE in Dubai, followed by an encounter with arch-rival Pakistan at the same venue on 14 September.