Top 5 experts who slammed Shreyas Iyer's omission from India's 2025 Asia Cup squad ft. Abhishek Nayar

Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer failed to make the cut as T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced India’s 15-member squad for the 2025 Asia Cup during a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, August 19. The multi-nation tournament is scheduled to begin on September 9, with India placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Oman, and hosts UAE.

Iyer’s omission has sparked widespread debate given his recent form. The middle-order batter has been in excellent touch in white-ball cricket and played a crucial role in India’s 2025 Champions Trophy triumph.

He carried that momentum into the IPL 2025, where he led the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final in his maiden season with the franchise. With the bat, he piled up 604 runs in 17 innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 175.07, registering six half-centuries.

Despite his strong performances, the 30-year-old was left out of both the 15-member squad and the standby list, a decision that has only intensified the debate.

Here’s a look at India’s squad for the 2025 Asia Cup:

Suryakumar 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.

Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel.

With Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion becoming one of the major talking points, here’s a look at five experts who criticized his omission from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad.

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Top 5 experts who slammed Shreyas Iyer's omission from India's 2025 Asia Cup squad

#1 Abhishek Nayar

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar questioned Shreyas Iyer’s omission, criticizing the selectors for leaving him out of both the main squad and the standby list. Speaking during a discussion on Star Sports, the 41-year-old said:

"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?"

"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.

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#2 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra also took a dig at the selectors, wondering what else Shreyas Iyer must do to break into the team. In a YouTube video (@CricketAakash), Chopra voiced his surprise at Iyer not even finding a place in the standby list and said:

"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.”

"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,” he added.

Chopra continued:

"However, a place could have been created in the reserve players at least, where you have kept Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna. This player's name could have been there. 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.”

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#3 Krishnamachari Srikkanth

Former India cricketer and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth also came down heavily on the selectors for not picking the Mumbai batter in the 2025 Asia Cup squad. He backed Shreyas Iyer for the No. 5 position, calling him an automatic choice given his impressive form. Speaking in a YouTube video (@CheekyCheeka), the 65-year-old said:

"You are being biased against Shreyas Iyer. What mistake has he committed? Shreyas Iyer played so well in the Champions Trophy in the UAE sometimes back. Why were his performances not considered?"

"Agarkar asked, 'where is the place for Shreyas Iyer?'. No. 5 straightaway. Six can be Hardik Pandya, seven Axar Patel and eight Jitesh Sharma. The balance of the team has got totally lost. Shubman Gill has done well in the IPL and the Champions Trophy, so go ahead with him. But, by the same yardstick, what wrong has Yashasvi Jaiswal done?” he added.

Srikkanth continued:

"Shreyas Iyer should have been an automatic choice on current form. He scored 600-plus runs in the IPL and took the team to the final. Look at his strike rate - it’s 175 and average is 50. Brilliant performance. Agarkar was talking nonsense. I don’t agree with him. You can give a place to Harshit, Rinku and Dube, but not to Shreyas. There is no logic behind it."

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#4 Ravichandran Ashwin

Indian spin great Ravichandran Ashwin also questioned Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion, pointing out how he fought his way back into the team and delivered in the Champions Trophy. He highlighted Iyer’s IPL success and noted how the batter had worked on overcoming his struggles against the short ball.

Speaking on his YouTube channel (@ashkibaat99), Ashwin expressed his disappointment, stating:

“I am very, very, very sad for Shreyas and Yashasvi Jaiswal. It is just not fair on both those kids. Iyer went out of the team, but came and helped you win the Champions Trophy. If Shubman Gill is in blasting form, Shreyas Iyer is in high-quality form. I know you have maps forward, but what does Shreyas lack? He’s won an IPL with KKR. He took a team like Punjab Kings, which last qualified in 2014, a guy with such strong leadership and batting skills, batting at number three. He is not batting like the Shreyas Iyer of 2017 or 2018.”

"There is so much difference in his game. We were saying he had issues with the short ball, which even I noticed. He’s hitting the likes of Kagiso Rabada 20-30 rows back at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He’s hitting the likes of Bumrah down the ground. I am very, very, very sad for both of them,” he added.

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#5 Surinder Khanna

Former India cricketer Surinder Khanna also questioned what more Shreyas Iyer needs to do to earn a place in the Indian side, stressing that the 30-year-old deserved selection given his impressive form. In an interaction with ANI, he said:

"However, there is one player whom I feel sorry for. Shreyas Iyer. What else does he have to do? The selectors, coaches and think tanks should keep him in the team. He is a good fielder and a good cricketing brain. His performance in T20 is excellent. The franchise he plays for and leads, he takes them to the final or wins them the title. When he is in form, he should get a chance,” [as quoted by NDTV].

Since his debut in 2017, Iyer has scored 1,104 runs in 47 innings at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 136.12, including eight half-centuries.