Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee member Salil Ankola is furious at the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, over the mistreatment of Shreyas Iyer.
Salil Ankola said that he was quite “baffled” to see the star batsman Shreyas Iyer being left out of the India squad for the Asia Cup 2025.
Shreyas Iyer’s Asia Cup snub leaves fans and experts angry
On Tuesday, August 19, chief selector Ajit Agarkar and T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav attended a press conference in Mumbai where they announced the India squad for the upcoming continental tournament.
The selectors picked a strong squad that saw the likes of Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, and Harshit Rana, among others, receive good backing despite not-so-good performances in IPL 2025.
Shubman Gill also made his T20I comeback after heavy speculations and was handed the vice-captaincy as well. However, one major name that was not found in the squad was Shreyas Iyer.
Iyer did everything required from a player to get the attention of the selectors. He was extraordinary with the bat in domestic cricket, in the home series against England, and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Then, Shreyas Iyer levelled up and brought out his beast mode in IPL 2025, scoring 604 runs at an amazing average of 50.33 and an excellent strike rate of 175.07.
He took the Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the final of the IPL 2025, and many experts backed him to make his T20I return in the Asia Cup because of his red-hot form, but that didn’t happen, and he was snubbed.
I’m baffled that Shreyas hasn’t been picked even in the five-man list of reserves – Salil Ankola
When Ajit Agarkar was asked about Iyer’s non-selection, he said that the batter has done a good job, but there is no room for him in the current Indian T20I setup.
Former BCCI selector Salil Ankola, however, was not satisfied with Ajit Agarkar’s justification. Ankola said that he was shocked to see both Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s absence in the Asia Cup squad.
However, he added that Iyer not even being kept in standbys was a baffling decision after all he has done in 20-over cricket.
“It’s surprising and shocking that proven performers like Iyer and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal are not in India’s Asia Cup squad while others who have just come in have found a place. I’m baffled that Shreyas hasn’t been picked even in the five-man list of reserves despite doing well in the IPL this year,” Ankola told Mumbai Mirror
He will be part of the leadership group too – Irfan Pathan
After the squad announcement, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan took to X to back Shreyas Iyer and stated that the batsman will be back in the India T20I squad very soon, and that too in a leadership role.
“There is no doubt in my mind that @ShreyasIyer15 will not only be in the T20 side but he will be part of the leadership group too. Patience is the key for him at the moment,” Irfan Pathan wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the former India National Cricket Team skipper Mohammad Azharuddin labelled it as a big surprise.
“Shreyas Iyer left out of the squad. Big surprise,” Mohammad Azharuddin wrote on X.
