"He also got adequate rest" - Harbhajan Singh's huge statement on star pacer after India's 2025 Asia Cup squad announcement

Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has opined that pacer Mohammed Siraj could have been included in the Men in Blue’s 15-member squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. The multi-nation tournament is set to begin on September 9 in the UAE.

On Tuesday, August 19, T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the squad at a press conference in Mumbai, with India naming three frontline pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan noted that Siraj deserved a spot, highlighting that he had adequate rest following the England Test series, where he emerged as the leading wicket-taker. The 45-year-old said:

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

Siraj has featured in 16 T20Is, taking 14 wickets at an average of 32.28, with a strike rate of 24.8 and an economy rate of 7.79.

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“Surprised me a little” - Harbhajan Singh reacts to Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the 2025 Asia Cup squad

In the same video, Harbhajan Singh also expressed his surprise at Shreyas Iyer’s omission from the Asia Cup squad. Harbhajan said:

“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, you have to see whose place it would have been. 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.”

India’s squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), and Harshit Rana.

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel.