Asia Cup 2025: “I feel that the ‘X-factor..."- Harbhajan Singh slams BCCI selector Ajit Agarkar for leaving out these two players

India’s 15-member squad for Asia Cup 2025 was announced on August 19, and Harbhajan Singh wasn’t amazed by it.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief of selector Ajit Agarkar for leaving out two players with ‘X-factor’ from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. The 15-member squad was revealed by Agarkar and India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav in Mumbai on August 19.

The 15-member squad saw multiple surprises, with Shubman Gill being preferred over Yashasvi Jaiswal and named as India’s vice-captain. This move confirmed a planned path for Shubman Gill to become India’s all-format captain in the coming months.

Also, Prasidh Krishna was excluded as Harshit Rana was chosen over him, given his ability to bat a bit for the No. 8 spot.

However, Harbhajan Singh stated that India should’ve gone for the ‘X-Factor’ of pacer Mohammed Siraj. He said that he knows Siraj has bowled so many overs in the England test series, but having him in the squad could’ve been excellent for India.

“I feel that Siraj’s name should have been included as well. Siraj bowled very well in the recent series. Yes, he bowled a lot in England, but he also got adequate rest. So he could have been included. If he had been picked, the team would have looked even stronger. The bowling unit would have seemed stronger. I feel that the ‘X-factor’ Siraj brings might be somewhat missed,” Harbhajan Singh stated on his YouTube channel.

This is the second multi-team tournament Mohammed Siraj has missed. He was not picked for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and last played a T20I for India in 2024 against Sri Lanka.

“I had hoped”—Harbhajan Singh shocked at exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from Indian team

The second player, whose exclusion from the Indian team Harbhajan was not happy with was Shreyas Iyer. He had an excellent Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 for Punjab Kings, scoring more than 600 runs with a strike rate of over 175. He also captained PBKS to the final of the tournament, losing to RCB.

He had made his India comeback in the England series earlier this year and was part of India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 winning squad. He was primed to be picked in India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad but couldn’t make the final 15.

“I had hoped he (Shreyas Iyer) would get a place in the team. He scored a lot of runs, played in the IPL final, and was in very good form. I thought his name could have been there. As for whose spot he would take, that is for the selectors to decide. When someone has to be included or left out, a spot is made. But I did not see Shreyas Iyer’s name there, which surprised me a little,” he said.

The Asia Cup, an eight-nation competition, will start on September 9 and the hosts India against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai the following day.

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