Can’t fathom what reason could justify leaving Shreyas Iyer out of Asia Cup squad: Nayar

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has expressed surprise over Shreyas Iyer’s omission from both the main squad and the reserves for the upcoming Asia Cup, despite the batter’s stellar form in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.

“I don’t understand how he isn’t even in the reserves if he’s such a strong contender,” Nayar said on Star Sports.

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“Sometimes, selection meetings can be very interesting, but I can’t fathom what reason could justify leaving Shreyas Iyer out of the 20-member squad. I’m not even talking about the main 15, not being among the reserves sends a message that he’s not in the team’s plans at all,” he added.

Iyer, who captained Punjab Kings to the final in IPL 2025, amassed 604 runs at a strike rate of 175.07, making a strong case for his inclusion. However, the selectors chose to overlook him entirely, instead picking Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and captain Suryakumar Yadav to fill the middle-order slots.

Nayar suggested that the move could indicate a shift in the selectors’ long-term vision.

“Even if someone gets injured or things don’t work out, he still isn’t in contention. Maybe Riyan Parag or someone else is ahead of him. It raises the question that perhaps the selectors don’t see him as a T20 option anymore. Or maybe, not even as an option in general,” he said.

“At the end of the day, selections often come down to personal preferences, who you like a little more. And maybe Shreyas Iyer just isn’t liked as much as someone else. Maybe.”

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, meanwhile, clarified that Iyer’s exclusion was not performance-related, but simply a matter of limited slots.

“With regards to Shreyas, you have to ask who he could replace. It’s not his fault, nor ours. We can only pick 15 at the moment, and unfortunately, he’ll have to wait for his chance,” Agarkar had said after the selection committee meeting on Tuesday.