Shreyas Iyer "Not A Team Player"? AB De Villiers Speculates Reason Behind Star's Asia Cup Snub

Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from India's Asia Cup 2025 squad has sparked a massive social media storm, with fans and some experts expressing their displeasure over the call. Iyer has raised his stocks in the shortest format of the game over the last couple of year. In 2024, he led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third Indian Premier League (IPL) title, before taking Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final earlier this year, where they lost to RCB. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is the latest to share his views on the Indian selectors' call to leave Iyer out.

De Villiers was quick to speculate that there might be something going on behind the scenes, as he believes that Iyer's snub can't be based on his performances.

"It is tough, guys. I was just going through the squad. I was thinking, where can we fit Shreyas in, because I've seen all the headlines and some fans being upset. I think Shreyas will be the most upset because he's played some really good cricket over the last few years. He's matured a lot. He has shown a lot of leadership qualities, but who knows what is going on behind closed doors? No one. Not me. Not you guys," de Villiers said during a live chat on X (formerly Twitter).

Recalling his captaincy days, de Villiers revealed that in similar selection situations, he would often go for a player whom he thought could get the job done for him.

"Maybe not even Shreyas knows. But there might be a few things that have taken place over the years that have determined why he's not the flavour of the month for a certain tournament. He's a quality player. He'll be in my team more often than not. But sometimes, and I'm not talking about Shreyas now, but sometimes, thinking about when I was captaining, if there's a 50-50 call between two players, I would always lean towards the guy that I feel offers more from a team perspective off the field," he added.

"When it's 50-50 on the field, you have to start looking at other areas, like does he add value in the team room? Does he have a smile on his face? Does he uplift some of the other players around him? Or is he sort of draining energy from the squad? Maybe it has something to do with that. I'm just honestly taking a complete guess. Of course, it is weird to me, a quality player like that, not making the starting squad for Team India, especially with the leadership qualities he's bringing. Maybe it will be too much of a clash with him there," said de Villiers.

The former Proteas captain also suggested that Iyer's inclusion could have led to an ego clash, while highlighting the latter's recent heroics as captain in the IPL and the domestic circuit.

"Maybe there are too many leaders there, too many captains. I have no idea, to be honest. I was just trying to explain to you what I would think. If there's a 50-50 call, you would always lean towards the guy that you feel will bring the best out in other players," said de Villiers.

De Villiers concluded by saying that the truth behind Iyer's absence from the team will eventually come out one day.

"So, a team player kind of call. That's my best guess. I'm not saying it's true. Make up your own mind. Actually, ask more questions about it and let me know what you think. Maybe the truth will come out one day, and we'll know exactly why Shreyas is struggling to get into Team India starting line-ups or squads at least," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Shreyas Iyer AB de Villiers Asia Cup 2025 Cricket