Despite putting up a stunning show in the IPL 2025, the batter missed out on securing a place in India's Asia Cup 2025 squad.
Former England bowler Monty Panesar is the latest to stir up the Asia Cup 2025 snub of star Indian batter Shreyas Iyer. Previously, several former players had shared their views on the 30-year-old missing out on a place in India’s 20-member squad, following a spectacular outing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The former spinner believes that Shreyas’ commendable captaincy skills are restricting him from making a comeback in the national team. Currently, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav lead India in the ODIs and T20Is, respectively. Recently, youngster Shubman Gill has also been handed over the Test captaincy after Rohit retired from the format.
Notably, Gill’s inclusion in the 20-over squad for the upcoming multi-national tournament indicates that he is on the radar to become the next all-format skipper of Team India. This may have propelled them to opt for another young batter in the team instead of including an extra leadership option.
“One of the reasons Shreyas Iyer is probably struggling to get into the Indian squad is because he brings those leadership skills and, at the moment, possibly they’ve got that covered. It gives them an opportunity to bring in someone younger, a bit more exciting to play, who would be easier to manage for coach Gautam Gambhir,” he stated to India Today.
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However, Panesar also emphasised India’s bench-strength and stressed that a continued streak of runs from the batter should convince the selectors of his re-inclusion in the side afterwards. Notably, India will kickstart their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on September 10.
“But I believe, if he keeps scoring runs, he should be playing. But it’s just the talent, the talent is unbelievable. I think India has never been so blessed and lucky that they can pull out probably 2 to 3 teams right now and compete against the world,” he added.
Shreyas has already established himself as a successful captain in the domestic cricket circuit. Since being appointed as the Delhi Capitals’ (DC) skipper in IPL 2018, he took the team to the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, including the IPL 2020 Final.
After joining the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2022, the 30-year-old also went on to accomplish his unfinished job as he guided the franchise to their third trophy of the tournament in the IPL 2024. Furthermore, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) qualified for the IPL final in the latest season after more than a decade, under the leadership of Shreyas.
He led them from the front and notched up 604 runs in 17 matches, including six fifty-plus knocks, at a fierce strike rate of 175.07. The batter had also scored 349 runs in nine matches, including a hundred and a half-century, while leading Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024.