Shreyas Iyer last played a T20I for India in December 2023, where he scored a fifty.
Former Australia wicketkeeper-batter Brad Haddin took a dig at Sunil Gavaskar’s comments to spark a new controversy after prolific batter Shreyas Iyer was ignored for the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025. Iyer, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) captain, was the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL 2025 and bolstered his case for a T20I comeback, but was not named in the squad or the travelling reserves for the continental tournament. As a result, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faced huge criticism from cricket pundits, including overseas cricketers, who had expressed their displeasure with Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad. Gavaskar had then slammed the former and current overseas players, who were discussing matters related to Indian cricket on podcasts or in their columns.
Gavaskar lambasted the overseas cricketers who shared their views over Iyer’s snub, saying the selection of the Indian cricket team is none of their business. He further noted that former Indian cricketers have not commented on squads of other countries, asking the reason behind taking shots at Indian squads.
“What is baffling is foreigners who have zero stake in Indian cricket and much less knowledge about it, wading into the debate and adding fuel to the fire. However great they may be as players and however many times they may have been to India, the selection of the Indian team is strictly none of their business,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar. “It’s almost as if the selection is perfect and they have no comments to make. So, why butt your nose into the selection of the Indian team? Have you ever heard Indian ex-cricketers talk about the selection of other countries’ teams?”
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Brad Haddin, assistant coach of Punjab Kings, on Tuesday responded to Gavaskar’s harsh criticism with humour. Haddin, who had spent nearly three months with Iyer during the IPL 2025, defended his stance on Iyer’s omission. He further emphasised that it’s their job to share opinions on cricket, claiming that Iyer would have offered leadership, calmness, and clutch performances.
“I am glad he is listening to the show. We are going worldwide. Our job is to give an opinion on what’s topical in world cricket. That’s what we do. We coached him (Iyer) in the IPL, and I stand by my take. I was shocked that he wasn’t in the squad, and I am not saying the other players (selected) shouldn’t be there. The reason I say that is because just the way he handled our group, he was a great leader, and the way he played under pressure, leading from the front. But, yeah, they are obviously going well even with players like him on the sideline,” Haddin said on the LiSTNR YouTube channel.
Shreyas Iyer is currently enjoying the form of his life. Iyer, who was roped in by PBKS for a whopping INR 26.75 crores in the IPL 2025 mega auction. He led the side to the IPL playoffs and final for the first time in a decade, becoming the first captain to lead three franchises to IPL finals. The 30-year-old also emerged as the team’s leading run-getter with 604 runs, averaging 50.33 while striking at 175.07. He was also the second leading run scorer in the Champions Trophy 2025 after New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra (263 runs). He had amassed 243 runs in just five innings with two fifties, averaging 48.60.
The right-hand batter also clinched the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024-25 with Mumbai, where he amassed 345 runs in just eight innings, averaging 49.83 while striking at 188.52. However, Shreyas Iyer has been continuously getting ignored by the BCCI, though he regained his central contract after being dropped last year. He is currently playing for West Zone in the Duleep Trophy.
The Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to start from September 9, with Afghanistan and Hong Kong battling it out in the tournament opener. India, the defending champions, will commence their campaign against minnows UAE on September 10, followed by Pakistan on 14 and Oman on 19. Notably, the all-important final is slated for September 28.
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