Former India opener Aakash Chopra has caused a row after asking why Shreyas Iyer was not selected in Asia Cup 2025 teams. Chopra feels that the batter at least deserved to be in the reserve players list, particularly having had a brilliant run during the latest season of IPL.
Iyer had 604 runs in IPL 2025 and a strike rate of 175 and led Punjab Kings to the second place. He made an excellent progress against short deliveries and spin but was not selected in the main 15-member squad or five reserves.
This was unexpected to many including former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar. Chopra too echoed the same sentiments as he pointed out that his non-inclusion in its entirety left him with questions on whether the selectors see a future of him in T20I.
“Shreyas’ name is not even there in the five reserves, and that is surprising. It’s understandable that you couldn’t have him in the 15 as you can’t play him in the XI, and you wanted lower-order batters as backup, where Shivam Dube is there, and Rinku Singh will be given another chance, which is absolutely par for the course.”
Chopra also wondered why Shreyas Iyer was not even in the back-up plans. In his opinion, there was an opportunity to include Iyer in the place of such players as Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Prasidh Krishna, who received the right to be in the reserves.
“However, a place could have been created in the reserve players at least, where you have kept Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna. Shreyas’ name could have been there, but you haven’t kept it there either, and that doesn’t send a great signal. The clarity in front of Shreyas’ name is completely not there,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The broadcaster stressed that such a rejection puts Iyer in a confusing position. Just because he is performing well in his domestic and franchise cricket is not good enough because his future in T20 international cricket is on the line at a crucial stage of his career.
Though he has been left out in the Asia Cup, Shreyas Iyer has not given up all hope, according to Chopra. He opined that regular ODI performances may take him back into the contention of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In the meantime, Iyer will now move on to West Zone in this season of the Duleep Trophy.
“Shreyas Iyer not being there is a big story. What more will Shreyas Iyer have to do? What more can you do than what you have already done? You had a 600-plus run IPL season, took the team to the final, scored runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, played Ranji, and won the Champions Trophy. That’s all you can do as a human being.”
Chopra was quick to remind that it is not the same team that is playing in the Asia Cup as that of the T20 World Cup. Considering that 15 T20Is have to be played after the Asia Cup, he feels that Iyer has some time to earn back his place by scoring runs in the formats that would follow.
“This is the Asia Cup team. Don’t attach the World Cup with it because there are 15 T20Is after this. The world changes in 15 T20Is. If he keeps scoring runs in ODIs, sooner or later, Shreyas Iyer will be part of the team. I have a strong feeling that Shreyas Iyer will be a part of India’s T20 World Cup team,” Chopra added.
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