Asia Cup: 'Yashasvi Jaiswal is better than Shubman Gill'- Ex India batter sparks selection debate

India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad has stirred debate after the omission of star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, leaving fans and former cricketers questioning the selection choices. Shubman Gill returns to the T20I squad for the first time since July 2024, and the BCCI has handed him the vice-captaincy role, a clear sign of faith in the youngster’s leadership. Jaiswal, who has been a key figure in India’s T20 set-up, was named among the reserve players despite his impressive record. He has scored 723 runs in 23 T20Is, including a century and five fifties at a strike rate of over 164. In the IPL 2025, he continued his excellent form, scoring 559 runs in 14 matches with six half-centuries at a strike rate of 160. His omission has raised eyebrows among cricket experts. Former Chennai Super Kings player Subramaniam Badrinath weighed in on the decision, calling it a positive move to back Shubman Gill, but questioning the rationale behind leaving out players like Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan.“I see this mostly as a positive that they are backing a youngster and projecting him for the future. But what about Yashasvi Jaiswal? He has done even better than Shubman Gill. Also, why has Sai Sudharsan missed out after scoring 700 runs in IPL 2025 and performing better than Shubman Gill? Sanju Samson himself is now in doubt to start in the playing 11,” Badrinath said on his YouTube channel. Badrinath further questioned whether the selection was influenced by recency bias, a trend often seen in Indian cricket where players performing well in the immediate past are preferred, even if their overall numbers are stronger. He added, “So while backing Shubman Gill, you ask what wrong have Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan done when their numbers are better than Gill’s. It’s not a bad decision but one that’s 50-50.”While Shubman Gill’s leadership and experience are valued, many feel that Yashasvi Jaiswal’s consistency and impact make him deserving of a more prominent role. Most likely, India will open the innings with Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma, leaving the middle order to accommodate other key batters, including Sanju Samson, who may have to adapt to a new role.