NEW DELHI: The selection committee's decision to leave out Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal from the 15-member Asia Cup squad drew sharp criticism from all quarters, with former India spinner R Ashwin also voicing his dissatisfaction over the move.
However, Ashwin did not entirely hold the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee responsible for the decision, as he stated that leaving out someone is not an easy task, but hoped that Iyer and Jaiswal were informed of the reasons behind their omission.
"See, I understand that selection is a thankless job," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel 'Ash Ki Baat'.
"Leaving somebody out, telling someone they are dropped, it is not an easy thing. You have to speak to the players, you have to go through the sadness.
"I just hope Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal were given a call, and they were told the reasons behind not being picked.
"Genuinely, I understand Shubman Gill's selection. He is also the vice-captain. He has scored a lot of runs for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He has the credentials to be picked in the T20I setup," he added.
Ashwin highlights that Jaiswal was already included in the T20 World Cup 2024 squad as the third opener, so dropping him now to accommodate Gill seems unfair. While he is genuinely happy for Gill's selection, he feels bad for both Jaiswal and Iyer.
"When you have Yashasvi Jaiswal as the third opener in the T20 World Cup 2024, to remove someone from the World Cup squad and bring in Shubman Gill... I mean, it's okay, I am happy for Shubman, but I'm very sad for both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shreyas Iyer. It is just not fair to these two kids," said Ashwin.
The Asia Cup kicks off on September 9, with defending champions India taking on hosts United Arab Emirates in Dubai the following day. India have been placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals Pakistan, with the high-voltage clash scheduled for September 14.
