"Whether we need three left-handers is a useless debate" - When Gautam Gambhir slammed Team India's selection rationale for Asia Cup 2023

England & India Net Sessions - Source: Getty
Gautam Gambhir was unimpressed with India's selection plans for the 2023 Asia Cup. [Credit: Getty]

Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir has never been one to believe in a balance between right-handers and left-handers in the playing XI. Hence, it was no surprise when he slammed the selection rationale for the 2023 Asia Cup being centered around having enough left-handers in the side.

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Instead, Gambhir emphasized the importance of picking high-calibre players in form over their batting style. For the uninitiated, the Men in Blue picked Tilak Varma, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar as the four capable left-handers in the 17-member squad.

As the conversation around Tilak's selection came about, Gambhir told Star Sports (via India Today):

"If he has been picked (Tilak Varma), then of course he should get some matches to play. And if he gets game time and performs better than other batsmen, then you should definitely take him into the squad. Because, as I've said earlier, form is important. This debate about who is a left-hander or a right-hander or whether we need three left-handers is a useless debate. We look at quality, we do not look to see how many left-handers are in the squad."
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He continued:

"If the batsman is good, regardless of whether he is a right-hander or a left-hander, we should see how he performs in every condition and against each bowler. It's not a compulsion that you have to keep a left-hander in the squad or that you need to have three left-handers in the lineup. I don't think we need to even start a debate like this.
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"If we are focusing on left-handers, then what about Yashasvi Jaiswal and other left-handers? But you look at quality, don't you, not quantity."

Coming to the tournament, Team India dominated from start to finish and clinched the 2023 Asia Cup title, defeating Sri Lanka in the grand finale.

Gautam Gambhir's Team India made questionable selection calls for 2025 Asia Cup

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Despite Gautam Gambhir's claims that India should not prioritize batting styles over form, their squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup, with him as head coach, has raised several questions. The in-form Shreyas Iyer, who recently led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL 2025 final and scored over 600 runs in the season, has been omitted.

Instead, India have gone with two left-handers, Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube, who struggled in IPL 2025. This is in addition to all-rounder Axar Patel, who will likely play as a left-hander in the middle-order.

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Talented opener Yashasvi Jaiswal is the other omission that has fans and former players baffled. The 23-year-old scored over 550 runs in IPL 2025 and averages an excellent 36.15 at a strike rate of over 164 in 23 T20Is.

Team India squad for the 2025 Asia Cup

Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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