"What A Shame": BCCI Blasted For Shreyas Iyer's Asia Cup Omission
Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from India's Asia Cup squad has led to strong criticism of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee.
- Shreyas Iyer was excluded from India's Asia Cup squad due to strong competition in T20 format
- Fans were not happy with the selectors ignoring Iyer, who was not even part of the five-man reserves
- "What a shame, why Shreyas Iyer is not in the list," a fan wrote on X
Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from India's Asia Cup squad has led to strong criticism of the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee. Speaking during the squad announcement press conference on Tuesday, Agarkar opened up on his snub, insisting that Iyer missed out due to abundance of talent in the format. After guiding Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the IPL title last year, Iyer led Punjab Kings (PBKS) all the way to the final in 2025, where they lost to Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He also played a crucial role with the bat as India lifted the Champions Trophy earlier this year.
"About Shreyas, who can he replace? No fault of his, nor is it ours. At the moment, you can just pick 15. So he will have to wait for his chance. We have got some serious options in T20 squad...sometimes not the easiest squad to pick but good headache to have," said Agarkar.
However, fans were not happy with the selectors ignoring Iyer, who was not even part of the five-man reserves for the tournament.
- Most Runs in Champions Trophy
— Selfless(@SelflessCricket) August 19, 2025
- More Runs than Shubman Gill in WC
- Reached IPL Finals being Top Run Scorer of Team
Gautam Gambhir is just jealous of him. There is not even a single reason to drop Shreyas Iyer. pic.twitter.com/ogknDVE3mS
They didn't select Shreyas Iyer because he could have been a lethal threat to the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill.
— PIXEL77 (@SaviourShrey96) August 19, 2025
When you can't compete with him ,
Eliminate him.
Yet again politics won. pic.twitter.com/rUvz0FqK69
Setbacks came to him through injuries, politics, grudges but my man never bowed down to anything .
— Parv (@ParvCryEmoji) August 19, 2025
I love you Shreyas Iyer pic.twitter.com/693X8t3DW6
Shreyas Iyer's reality right now - no spot in Tests, no spot in T20Is, not even in India A. Despite performing in domestics & IPL, he's still left waiting. Toughest phase of his career.
— Atul (@tiwariaatul) August 19, 2025
What a shame, why Shreyas Iyer is not in the list.
— Old मोंक (@mannudada111) August 19, 2025
Notably, Test skipper Shubman Gill was recalled to the side for the tournament, and also named vice-captain, replacing Axar Patel.
Both Suryakumar Yadav and Agarkar said the Asia Cup signals the start of India's cycle for the next T20 World Cup.
Agarkar was asked whether Gill's return to the squad as vice-captain is an indicator that he may take up the leadership mantle in the future.
"He led in T20I (Zimbabwe), and in the Test team, he is already leading, and like Surya mentioned, he was vice-captain in the last T20I, so we obviously see some leadership qualities in him, and his form in England was what we were hoping for. He obviously exceeded all our expectations, with the kind of form that he showed with his bat, which is a great sign when there's so much pressure on you as a captain," said Agarkar.
(With IANS Inputs)
India Cricket Team