On August 19, 2025, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced a 15-member Team India squad for the Asia Cup 2025 to be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 9 to 28. Shreyas
Iyer was expected to make it to the squad but his name wasn’t announced by the chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The development became a huge headline as Iyer not only failed to get a place in the 15-member squad but also couldn’t get inducted in reserves as well. Iyer has been in sensational form in white-ball cricket 2025. In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, he performed magnificently for Punjab Kings (PBKS) and ended up as the leading run-getter for his team.
Ignoring such brilliant numbers, when the selectors didn’t pick up Shreyas Iyer for the continental tournament, the 30-year-old got sympathy from cricket fans and formers of the game. Abhishek Nayar, who was the assistant coach for Team India from July 2024 to April 2025, had a chat with JioHotstar and said he is unable to understand why Iyer didn’t win a spot in India’s 20-member team for the Asia Cup 2025. "I can’t fathom or understand what reason could justify Shreyas Iyer not being part of the 20-member squad. I’m not even talking about the final 15, but the 20 itself, which sends a clear message that Shreyas Iyer is not in the selectors’ scheme of things, at least from a T20 perspective,” Nayar remarked.
Shreyas Iyer’s T20I numbers for Team India
Shreyas Iyer has played 51 T20I for the Men In Blue in which he has racked up 1104 runs with eight fifties in 47 innings at a strike rate of 136.12. The right-handed batter’s previous outing for Team India in the shortest form of the sport came against Australia at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in December 2023.
In his last game in Bengaluru, Shreyas also produced a superb half-century from his bat. India won that match by a close margin of six runs. With that triumph, India won the series by a 4-1 margin and Iyer chipped in with 61 runs in two games in the competition.
