"Maybe Shreyas Iyer is not as liked as someone else” - Former India coach’s brutal statement on 2025 Asia Cup squad

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar slammed the selection committee's decision to leave out Shreyas Iyer from the 15-man squad for the 2025 Asia Cup. The right-handed batter missed out on making a comeback into the short-format squad despite a prolific 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, where he led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final.

Team India announced their squad for the 2025 Asia Cup on Tuesday, August 19 in Mumbai. Star batter Shubman Gill was named as the new vice-captain, while the rest of the batting unit comprised of Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, followed by the lower middle-order batters.

Iyer was being tipped to be India's long-term No.3 in the format, especially after slamming 604 runs in IPL 2025 at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed Iyer's absence in the squad, terming it as 'unfortunate', while claiming that none of the members of the main squad are replaceable.

Nayar slammed the lack of justification from the chief selector, questioning his absence even from the list of stand-by players, which include the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Prasidh Krishna, and Riyan Parag.

"I actually wanted to ask him (Agarkar) that how is he not among the reserve players, if he is such a strong contender? Sometimes the selection meetings, and the discussions that happen can be quite interesting, but I can't fathom, I can't understand. Where's the reason or justification of not including Shreyas in the 15-man or the 20-man squad?" Abhishek Nayar said on Star Sports.

"It sort of tells, and sends a message to a Shreyas Iyer that you are not in our 20-man scheme of things, because even if things don't work out, you are not going to be in the team. (In that case) either Riyan Parag will come or someone else. The big question here is whether they are looking at him from a T20 point of view. I always say this, selection, after a while, becomes about who you like a little more than the other. Maybe Shreyas Iyer is not as liked as someone else is," he added.

Team India are on the lookout to defend their Asia Cup title in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and begin the road to the 2026 T20 World Cup on home soil. The Suryakumar Yadav-led side will kickstart their upcoming campaign on September 10.

Shreyas Iyer's last T20I appearance came in December 2023

The right-handed batter last played in the shortest format for Team India during the home bilateral series following the 2023 ODI World Cup. He was part of the squad for the last two matches, coming in as a vice-captain in the Suryakumar Yadav-led side.

Iyer struck a sublime 37-ball 53 to help India post 160 on a tricky surface at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The hosts won the clash by six runs to wrap up the series by a 4-1 margin.