"Because he is bowling as well" - Mohammad Kaif's stunning claim on Team India batter's selection for 2025 Asia Cup

Former cricketer Mohammad Kaif feels that Rinku Singh has been selected in the India squad for the 2025 Asia Cup because of his all-around skills. The cricketer-turned-analyst pointed out that the off-spinner can bowl 2-3 overs in spin-friendly pitches in the UAE.

The remarks came days after Rinku Singh struck off his first ball in the 2025 UPT20 League. He had scalped two wickets in one over, conceding just one run, in a close T20I between India and Sri Lanka last year.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said:

“4:30 – Rinku Singh’s selection, in my opinion, is because in the UPT20 League, he is bowling as well. Since Washington Sundar is not in the 15-member squad. So even Rinku Singh can bowl 2-3 overs on the UAE pitch.”

On the batting front, Rinku Singh has 546 runs in 24 innings for Team India in T20Is at a strike rate of 161.06, including three half-centuries. The left-handed batter scored 206 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 153.73 while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2025 season.

“If the selectors really like Iyer, he could’ve found a place among the standbys” – Mohammad Kaif slams selectors for ignoring star India batter for 2025 Asia Cup

Mohammad Kaif further slammed the selectors for ignoring Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain Shreyas Iyer for the 2025 Asia Cup. The 44-year-old questioned BCCI’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar for not considering Iyer in Team India's five-member backup. He said in the same video:

“4:53 – Shreyas Iyer’s name didn’t come up; the selectors said that it was a difficult task to fit him in the 15; we could only select 15. I can understand all that. I approve of you in this. But even after praising him, his name wasn’t even in the standbys. There is Jaiswal in the list, and you have Jurel. There is no need for Jurel. If the selectors really like Iyer, he could’ve found a place among the standbys. If someone got injured, he could’ve gone there.”

“5:29 – You won’t see Shreyas Iyer in the Asia Cup, which I think was wrong. His name should be in the standbys 100 percent. Speaking of Jurel, you see Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are already there in the squad. You pick Jurel there, and kept Parag in the standbys. I think there is no justice with Shreyas Iyer,” he added.

Shreyas Iyer smashed 604 runs in 17 games at a strike rate of 175.07 in IPL 2025, including six half-centuries. As skipper, the 30-year-old guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to IPL 2024 glory and helped PBKS reach the IPL 2025 final. The Mumbai batter last played a T20I against Australia in December 2023.