Why Shreyas Iyer's Name Was Not Included In Asia Cup Squad And Reserves

Exclusion of Shreyas Iyer from India's Asia Cup squad has emerged as one of the most discussed and debated topics among fans and experts. When the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the 15-member squad and also included a five-member reserves list later, everyone anticipated the inclusion of Iyer's name at least in one of the lists. But his non-selection from both was a matter of question. To many, it was surprising that a player who has been playing consistently for the past couple of months did not even find a place in the reserve team. This led the fans to question what went wrong with the selection.

In recent tournaments, Shreyas Iyer demonstrated his quality as a batsman and displayed his capability to perform in pressure situations. At the Champions Trophy 2025 he turned out to be India's top run scorer and second top run getter of all times. He scored 243 runs in a span of five matches and maintained a healthy average of 48.60. His runs included two vital fifties with the best score of 79. These figures evidently indicate that he was in his best form and ready to face further challenges. Typically such performances render a player nearly undroppable but strangely that was not the case with Iyer.

Even in IPL 2025 he maintained his good form and was among the best performers of the year. Representing his franchise, he had scored 604 runs in 17 games. His average of 50.33 and striking rate of 175.07 were notable in a high scoring tournament. He registered six fifties and even played a memorable unbeaten knock of 97 runs. To finish as the sixth highest run scorer in a league filled with world class batters speaks volumes about his consistency and his ability to dominate in the shortest format. With such credentials behind him many thought he would be an automatic choice for the Asia Cup squad.

But when the team release was made his name was not included in the original 15. Even so fans were still hoping that at least he would be included among the reserves as an emergency option. Astoundingly that didn't happen as well and the reserve list of five players also didn't include him. This prompted former players and analysts to react strongly to the idea that such a decision would undermine the confidence of a player who has committed no error. Abhishek Nayar, the assistant coach for India at one time, was shocked on television and couldn't understand why Iyer wasn't in the twenty member team. To him if Iyer is so strong a contender he at least deserves to be in the reserves. Nayar further said that the message this sends is that Iyer is out of the immediate plans of the team management which is difficult to accept.

Nayar went on to say that sometimes selection meetings can be quirky because end choices often boil down to who the selectors want a bit more. In his view it appears Iyer was left out in favor of other names who may have been more favored for various reasons. He even opined that maybe the selectors do not perceive Iyer as suitable for T20 at this moment or perhaps they wish to experiment with younger options like Riyan Parag. Even then he did not feel that leaving out Iyer from the reserves was unjust and did not make sense.

Subsequently a report was published quoting a BCCI source which gave some clarity on this. The source informed that Shreyas Iyer is too big an asset to be left sitting in the reserves. In his words if one leaves out Iyer then he should not be warming the bench but be included in the playing eleven. The official also added that there was no problem with Iyer and he is a valuable player for India in all three formats. The source maintained that Iyer will have a lot more opportunities in the future but presently he just did not fit into the combination of the team selected for the Asia Cup.

Though this argument makes sense to some supporters others still believe that his omission sends the wrong message. They think that if a player plays so well in both international and domestic competitions he should at least be included in the larger group. To leave him out completely seems cruel because form and confidence play a huge role in cricket and decisions like these can impact a player psychologically. For Iyer who had been proving himself time and again this was obviously a setback.

The debate has not remained limited to just experts weighing in. Even his father spoke of his disappointment when questioned regarding his son being left out. He conceded that it was difficult to swallow but also went on to say that in cricket sometimes luck intervenes as well. Social media supporters also overflowed timelines with their backing of Iyer calling for answers from the selectors. Several compared his record with some of the players named in the team and maintained that his statistics were much better.

Meanwhile, some individuals attempted to view the larger picture. They reminded everyone that India has a congested schedule and the management could be concerned with balancing workloads. There is also the T20 World Cup later and the selectors may already have a planned strategy in mind. In that context leaving Iyer out of the Asia Cup team may not be the end of the world for him but just a brief respite. Nevertheless the way it was done without even placing him in the reserves left many perplexed.

At the end of the day one thing is certain. Shreyas Iyer is still an asset for Indian cricket. His show in the Champions Trophy and IPL confirms that he is one of the best batsmen in the country today. Even if he did not make the Asia Cup team it does not diminish his stature. The BCCI source statement also affirms that he will be playing an important role for India in the next few months and years. All the fans can hope is that the selectors provide him with the opportunities he deserves since a player of his caliber should not be on the sidelines when he has that much to give.