Maybe Shreyas Iyer Isn’t Liked As Much As Someone Else: Abhishek Nayar

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar questioned chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s explanation for Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion from India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad, announced on August 19 (Tuesday).

Iyer, who last featured in a T20I for India at the start of 2024, has been in outstanding form in the IPL over the past two seasons. He captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their first title in 10 years in 2024 and led Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final in 2025, where they narrowly lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

When asked about Iyer’s omission, Agarkar said, “No fault of his or ours, who do we replace in this squad? Like all the players who have missed, Shreyas Iyer has to wait for his chance. It is unfortunate.”

Nayar, however, felt that Iyer should have at least been in the reserves. "I don’t know, actually, I wanted to ask the question, agar Shreyas Iyer itna hi accha hai toh reserve mei kyu nahi hai? (so how come he’s not in your reserve players? If it’s true that he is such a strong contender.) Sometimes, I mean, you know, selection meetings can be quite interesting and the discussion that happens in a selection meeting can be very interesting," Nayar said on Star Sports, as reported by Hindustan Times.

Iyer’s numbers further strengthen his case - across the last two IPL seasons, he has scored 955 runs in 31 innings at an average of 45.48 and a strike rate of 163.5. With the 2026 T20 World Cup set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, his ability to dominate spin and accelerate in the middle overs could prove crucial in subcontinental conditions.

"But I can’t fathom and I don’t understand what reason can justify Shreyas Iyer not being part of that 20-member squad. I’m not going for 15, I’m going for that 20-member squad, which sort of tells and sends the message to Shreyas Iyer that you are not in a 20-man scheme of things, because even if things don’t work out, you are not coming in the team. Either Riyan Parag is going to make the cut, or someone else is," Nayar added.

“So that’s the big question here is that maybe they are not looking at him from a T20 point of view and any other point of view but I always say this that any selection is after a while, all players are top players, everyone is good then it’s about who you like a little more than the other and that’s sometimes, you know, the tipping point in a selection. And somewhere I just feel in that regard maybe Shreyas Iyer is not liked as much as someone else is, maybe.”