“He has done nothing wrong” - Ex-Indian cricketer feels Yashasvi Jaiswal should be more aggrieved than Shreyas Iyer for not being part of Asia Cup squad

Former Indian cricketer Atul Wassan has stated that the Indian opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal should feel worse than Shreyas Iyer for missing out on the Asia Cup flight, as he was the third opener when India won the World Cup in June 2024.

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Notably, Jaiswal was part of the Indian set-up as the third opening batter when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma were part of the team. However, since their retirements from the shortest format of the game, India shifted gears towards Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson as Jaiswal’s last T20I came against Sri Lanka in July 2024.

"Jaiswal should be more aggrieved. Why? Jaiswal was the third opener when India won the World Cup. More than Shreyas Iyer, we should be discussing why Yashasvi Jaiswal is not in the team. Now Rohit Sharma is out, Virat Kohli is out, but Jaiswal is not in the team. Why? He has done nothing wrong,” Atul Wassan told CNN-News18.

Furthermore, Wassan stated that Iyer had two exceptional IPL seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings. However, he felt that Tilak Varma has done so well in the shortest format of the game of late and it’s very tough to replace him at the moment.

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“This is the beauty of cricket and selections in the Indian cricket team. There is a lot of conjecture. I will not call it politics, but definitely personal likes and dislikes. I am amused. Why? Because him (Shreyas Iyer) and Gautam Gambhir’s mind won them the IPL and what he, ever since he came to PBKS and what he did was something magical. So I think there is some bad blood there. But having said that, this one is true that the guy who actually replaced him in the T20 format, Tilak Varma, has done so well that he can’t be replaced,” he added.

Also, the former Indian cricketer felt that Iyer should’ve been part of the standby list, as if someone gets injured, he would have a chance of making it to the main squad. Moreover, he felt that the team management should’ve at least informed Iyer about his future roadmap after being excluded from the Asia Cup campaign.

"Where does Shreyas Iyer play if he comes into the team? But still, for the optics, there is an eye test. Some players immediately feel good to the eye. They should be kept in the team. You have not kept him in the team, you have not kept him in the standbys. Is Shreyas Iyer not good enough to be in the 20 of India? I think I would have kept him in the standbys, if somebody gets injured," he stated.

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"But I think if they have not kept him there, did a phone call go to him, saying you prepare for the Test match series, which is coming up against the West Indies, or there is an ODI series against Australia, you keep ready for that. I think if that phone call has not gone, then there is something seriously wrong with him and the people ruling Indian cricket, the selectors and the coach. I would feel hard done by, if I was Shreyas Iyer in this scenario,” he concluded.

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