‘Nothing to talk about Bangladesh': Ashwin goes on a rant, 'Invite South Africa or include India A in Asia Cup’

“They can almost include a South Africa and make it an Afro-Asia Cup to make the tournament competitive,” Ashwin said. “As it is now, they should probably include an India A side for it to be some contest.”

The tournament, hosted in Abu Dhabi, kicked off on Tuesday with Afghanistan facing Hong Kong, but Ashwin dismissed much of the field as incapable of pushing India, who come into the event on the back of a dominant 17 wins in their last 20 T20Is since lifting the 2024 T20 World Cup.

“We’ve not even spoken about Bangladesh. Because there is nothing to talk about with them,” Ashwin remarked bluntly. “How are these teams going to even compete against India?”

The veteran spinner didn't stop at pointing fingers. He also expressed hope for an upset winner, purely to bring back some level of unpredictability to the Asia Cup.

“In a way, I really hope someone else wins the tournament. Because only then will there be a contest in Asia. None of these teams pick Kuldeep or Varun. And we’ve not even spoken about India’s powerful batting line-up, which has match-winners galore,” Ashwin noted.

“This is not some curtain raiser for the 2026 T20 World Cup, it’s only a curtain. This tournament isn’t some major yardstick for it.”

Ashwin also singled out Afghanistan as one of the few teams with potential bowling threats but questioned their ability to chase even modest targets against India. “Even against the so-called threat of the Afghanistan bowlers, if India bat well and score 170+, who will Afghanistan chase this down with? It’s nearly impossible.”

Summing up the equation for India’s challengers, Ashwin said, “The only way to defeat India is by somehow restricting them to 155 on a good day, and then chase it down. Normally, a T20 is thrilling, but India will likely make even that one-sided in this Asia Cup.”

Suryakumar and Salman Agha don't consider India as runaway favourites

Despite Ashwin’s bold claims, both India captain Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha chose to temper expectations, refusing to brand India as runaway favourites.

“We’re just focusing on executing our plans. Every team is here to compete,” Surya said when asked about India’s perceived dominance.

Salman echoed similar views. “No one’s underestimating anyone here. T20 cricket is unpredictable. You get one or two performances right and you win a game.”

India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against hosts UAE in Dubai on Wednesday.

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