“An Orange Cap holder can't make the side" - Former spinner makes a huge statement on India's T20I squad after their Asia Cup 2025 win over Pakistan

Former India spinner Murali Kartik has marveled at the depth of resources in T20 cricket in the country. The 49-year-old spoke about how despite picking a strong squad for Asia Cup 2025, there were several other prominent names such as Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad who were unable to make it to the final 15 for the Men in Blue.

Kartik also opened up about how Abhishek Sharma struck Shaheen Shah Afridi for a six off the first ball on Sunday. He added that India were the best side on view in Asia Cup 2025. The former left-arm spinner told Cricbuzz:

“Just think of the kind of players who are missing out. Somebody like a Sai Sudharsan, an Orange cap holder, can’t make the side. Washington Sundar can’t make the side. Ruturaj Gaikwad can’t make the side. Arshdeep Singh can’t make the XI. These are the kind of players you are talking about."

"Just the way they played yesterday. The first ball from Shaheen Shah Afridi there is not even a sighter, which Abhishek Sharma needs. He runs down the track. That is the kind of talent you are talking about. We talk about all the other sides, like Hong Kong or Oman, being slightly below par or not up to scratch when it comes to other sides. Yesterday, India looked possibly the best side on view. There was no comparison at all”.

Former New Zealand pacer Simon Doull felt that the depth in Indian T20 cricket was so robust that they could field two teams in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. He credited the role of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in providing young Indian players a platform to show how good they could be before delivering on the international stage.

”We are getting the first signs of T20 cricket, in particular, of the post Rohit-Virat era, and I honestly believe if India had an A and a B side in this tournament, they would fight out the final. That's how much talent is in India at the moment. It is a culmination of years of talent coming through from an IPL point of view, but playing on the big stage in front of big crowds at the best T20 tournament domestically in world cricket. When you are able to do it on that stage, then transferring it to the international stage is not as big a step.”

“There is some experience there, I know that. There are some players not quite as experienced at the international level as others. But they play in an environment in those 2-2.5 months through March, April, May, that is equal to international cricket, in my opinion, against high-quality international players. I think they can pick a second team that would be equivalent to all the other sides in that tournament, and be very, very competitive. So that’s the strength of where Indian T20 cricket is at the moment. We are starting to see some bold selections, I think, and they have done the right thing, leading forward to a T20 World Cup. I think it is going to get better and better," the 56-year-old said.

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Murali Kartik feels 10th-placed IPL team has the potential to defeat an international side

Former India spinner Murali Kartik felt that a side which finished at the bottom of an IPL points table had the capability to beat an international team. He felt that the T20 tournament was harder than international cricket.

"Just think of the number of sides, and this is no disrespect to any side. We talk about international cricket, which means these are countries playing, and you just take the quality of all the IPL sides 1-10. You think of 1, which finishes top in the final. Think of the 10th team, anybody, that is a year which could go wrong for any franchise, but think of the quality in the 10th-placed side that can actually beat most of the international sides."

"That is what we are talking about. So IPL is a tough gig. It is tougher than international cricket because sometimes you can get to play some teams which are not that tough, but they are still playing international cricket," Kartik said.

India are currently on top of Group A of the Asia Cup 2025 points table. Their last league fixture will be against Oman at Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19.