TV
Former Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has fired back at Sunil Gavaskar after the Indian legend criticised overseas cricketers for commenting on India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad.
The selection sparked major debate, particularly over Shreyas Iyer’s omission despite a brilliant IPL season where he captained Punjab Kings to the final. Iyer’s absence, not even featuring among the reserves, drew sharp reactions, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar facing the heat.
Gavaskar, however, slammed foreign players for weighing in on Indian cricket matters, writing in his column, "What is baffling is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket, and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business."
In response, Haddin chose humour, remarking, “I am glad he is listening to the show. We are going worldwide.”
Haddin, who worked with Iyer as Punjab Kings’ assistant coach, defended his opinion on the batter’s exclusion. He insisted it was natural for former players to share views on global cricket and highlighted Iyer’s leadership and calmness under pressure during the IPL.
"Our job is to give an opinion on what's topical in world cricket. That’s what we do. We coached him (Iyer) in the IPL and I stand by my take. I was shocked that he wasn't in the squad and I am not saying the other players shouldn’t be there. The reason I say that is because of the way he handled our group, his leadership, and the way he played under pressure, leading from the front. But, yeah, they are obviously going well even with players like him on the sideline," Haddin explained.
