Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has questioned the decision to leave out Shreyas Iyer from India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, stating that the 30-year-old’s exclusion – even from the reserves – raises serious questions about the selection process.
Speaking on Star Sports, Nayar expressed his surprise at Iyer’s absence, especially considering his strong performances in the Indian Premier League over the past two seasons. After captaining Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024, Iyer led Punjab Kings to their first final in over a decade earlier this year, while also contributing consistently with the bat.
“I wanted to ask that question – how is he not even in the reserves if he’s such a strong contender?” Nayar said. “Sometimes, selection meetings can be quite interesting, and the discussions even more so. But I genuinely can’t understand what justification there could be for not including Shreyas Iyer in a 20-member squad.”
Shreyas last played a T20 International for India in December 2023, scoring a half-century against Australia. Since then, he has not been recalled to the T20I side, missing the 2024 T20 World Cup and now the Asia Cup, despite strong domestic form and leadership credentials.
Nayar acknowledged that selection is often based on a range of factors, but suggested that personal preferences may have played a role in this instance.
“Any selection, after a while, comes down to who you prefer a little more than the other. In that regard, maybe Shreyas Iyer is not liked as much as someone else. Maybe,” he said.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed the issue during the squad announcement, clarifying that Iyer’s exclusion was not due to any fault of his own.
“With regards to Shreyas, there’s no fault of his – nor is it ours,” Agarkar said. “We can only pick 15, and at the moment, he might have to wait for his chance.”
Agarkar also spoke about the omission of Yashasvi Jaiswal, explaining that Abhishek Sharma’s recent form and his ability to contribute with the ball gave him the edge. However, no specific reasoning was provided in Iyer’s case, leaving room for interpretation and debate.
India’s Asia Cup T20 Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah.
