Kris Srikkanth Criticizes India’s Asia Cup 2025 Squad
Former India selector and batter Kris Srikkanth has strongly criticized India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, calling the selection a backward step. Soon after Ajit Agarkar’s committee announced the team, Srikkanth said that even if India wins the Asia Cup, this squad will not be strong enough to defend the T20 World Cup next year.
Concerns Over Rinku, Dube, and Harshit Rana
Srikkanth expressed doubts about the inclusion of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana. All three earned spots based on their past IPL performances but were out of form in the 2025 edition.
“We might win the Asia Cup with this team, but there is no chance of winning the T20 World Cup with this bunch,” Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel, as quoted by Sportskeeda. “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.”
Axar Patel Replaced as Vice-Captain
Another point of criticism was the replacement of Axar Patel with Shubman Gill as vice-captain. Gill has not played any T20 cricket since 2024, yet was trusted with a leadership role ahead of the experienced Patel.
Lack of a Natural Number Five
Srikkanth also highlighted the lack of a settled batter at number five. In India’s last T20, Shivam Dube batted at that position and scored 30 off 13 as India posted 247/9.
“Who will bat at No. 5? Five has to be either Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma or Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh. Hardik Pandya usually bats at No. 5, so now, Patel Axar cannot bat at six. I can’t understand how they picked Dube. Yashasvi Jaiswal have performed in international cricket and IPL as well. What does he do?” Srikkant said.
India’s Asia Cup 2025 Campaign
India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign on September 10 against the UAE. With the T20 World Cup only six months away, the selection debate is likely to continue.
Stay tuned for all the latest Match Predictions, Fantasy Tips, Cricket updates, match highlights, player analysis, and viral moments!
