Yashasvi Jaiswal was one of the more shocking names on the list of players that did not make the India roster for the 2025 Asia Cup. The aggressive opening hitter was named one of the reserve players for the continental championship, which begins on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Jaiswal was a backup opener on India’s T20 World Cup-winning side last year. However, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli starting the batting, the southpaw did not play a game. Shubman Gill was a reserve in the main tournament. Shubman has been named to the Asia Cup main squad, while Jaiswal has been placed on the reserve list. Shubman has also been appointed India’s vice-captain in the shortest format.
With Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson performing well as India’s opening batters in recent months and Shubman returning to the lineup, the selectors decided there was no place for Jaiswal in the team.
This choice, however, has surprised Kevin Pietersen, a former England batter. The Delhi Capitals’ coach described Jaiswal as a great star and thought his absence was unusual.
“Strange omission! Yash is a major star!” Pietersen wrote during a Q&A session on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Will Kevin Pietersen take up coaching role for Team England?
In the same Q&A session, Pietersen was asked by a fan whether he would be interested in becoming England’s head coach. To this, the right-handed batter said he doesn’t have the time needed to take up the role
After his retirement, Pietersen invests a lot of his time in playing golf. He also plays cricket in certain legends league tournaments.
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