Shreyas Iyer falters in Duleep Trophy semis

• Iyer out for 25 in Duleep Trophy SF vs Central Zone, Khaleel Ahmed bowled him.
• Jaiswal & Desai also dismissed early, Iyer's comeback after IPL final.
• Iyer's Asia Cup snub by selectors caused social media stir, Agarkar said to wait.

Shreyas Iyerwalked back for 25 off 28 on Day 1 of the second semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2025 between West Zone and Central Zone at the BCCI Centre

of Excellence Ground B in Bengaluru. Iyer was the fourth wicket to fall on the opening day's play.

Khaleel Ahmed's around-the-wicket angle proved to be Iyer's undoing as his middle stump was disturbed after he inside-edged the ball in an attempt to cut it. There was a long wait to check if Khaleel had overstepped, however, it was later deemed to be a legal delivery.

Iyer was the Khaleel's second breakthrough for the day after the left-arm pacer dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal, who departed for a three-ball four in the first over of the day. Jaiswal's opening partner Harvik Desai fell a few overs later. Iyer had already struck four boundaries. However, he could not capitalise on his start.

Iyer's last competitive match came with Punjab Kings in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), as he led them in the final of the tournament against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The PBKS skipper enjoyed a stellar season with the bat, amassing 604 runs in 17 matches at a strike rate of 175.07. It was almost assumed that Iyer, also coming on the back of several impressive innings for Mumbai in domestic cricket, would make it to India's squad for the Asia Cup.

However, his name was nowhere to be found when the team was announced at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters in Mumbai. When asked by the media about Iyer's non-selection, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that he will have to "wait for his chance", prompting a huge stir on social media amongst the cricket community.