Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I in December 2023.
The Indian selectors, along with skipper Suryakumar Yadav just declared their squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and will commence from September 9. The team selection meeting, which was scheduled for 1pm, got delayed due to the inclement weather in Mumbai. However, both Suryakumar Yadav and Ajit Agarkar were available for a press conference in which they took turns to answer a few questions about the selection of the squad. The Mumbai Indians batter will lead the side, whereas Shubman Gill is appointed as his deputy. But there was a shocker with respect to Shreyas Iyer.
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Along with the inclusion of Gill as the vice-captain, there were notable points of discussion that sent the fans into a frenzy post the announcement. Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal could not find a place in the 15-member squad despite having good performances in the shortest format. Agarkar mentioned that Abhishek Sharma will most probably open the innings in the tournament, with Sanju Samson or Shubman Gill as his partner. The decision on the opening duo will be taken by the coach and captain before the start of the tournament.
All said and done, the exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from the squad quickly became a highlight of the announcement. The decision came as a surprise, as most of the fans expected Iyer to make it to the squad. Selector Agarkar also agreed that the Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper has not done anything wrong, but expressed that there was no one they could have dropped for him. Having said that, the decision has not sat well with former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar.
“I cannot fathom Shreyas Iyer not being in that squad. If you say that he is that good a player, why is he not even in the reserves? Selection meetings can be quite interesting. I cannot think of a reason for Shreyas Iyer not being there in the 20-member squad. This sends a message to Shreyas Iyer that he is not in the scheme of things”, said Abhishek Nayar on the exclusion of Iyer.
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When the same question was asked to the chief selector Ajit Agarkar, he replied that the PBKS skipper has done nothing wrong to be left out. His numbers in the T20 format speak great volumes of his ability. But Agarkar also stated that there are no players who Shreyas Iyer can replace. The Indian batting order is jam-packed at the top. Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma are all contenders to bat in the top four.
In this situation, including Shreyas Iyer would only create more chaos. Notably, the inclusion of Test skipper Shubman Gill has raised a lot of questions, but Suryakumar Yadav put those questions to rest in the press conference. Though Shreyas Iyer played his last T20I in 2023, he has shown his mettle in the Indian Premier League (IPL) regularly. He lifted the trophy with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024, after which he was released from the squad. To add to that, he took the Punjab Kings into the Final of IPL 2025.
India’s squad for the Asia Cup 2025 exhibits a lot of promise. Speedster Jasprit Bumrah was picked as the leader of the pack. But he will mostly not be available to play all the games. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana are the other two pacers, along with support from Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. Moreover, the team has decided to go with more spinners considering the venues of the games. Jitesh Sharma and Sanju Samson are picked as wicketkeepers for the tournament.
India’s Squad for the Asia Cup 2025: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
