India, Sept. 10 -- Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has sparked debate around the competitive balance of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, openly questioning whether any team in the tournament can genuinely challenge India. In a candid assessment on his YouTube channel, Ashwin labelled the eight-nation event as lacking depth and competitiveness, even suggesting structural changes to bring meaning to the contest.

"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 muc...