Ravichandran Ashwin calls out Ajit Agarkar for being 'unfair' on Shreyas Iyer: 'Who will answer these questions?'

Ravichandran Ashwin minces no words as he calls out Ajit Agarkar for being ‘unfair’ on Shreyas Iyer by not picking him for Asia Cup.

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin minced no words as he criticised the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, for leaving out Shreyas Iyer from the Asia Cup squad. The All India Men's Senior Selection Committee picked the 15-member squad for the eight-team tournament on Tuesday. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the side while Shubman Gill will serve as his deputy. However, the biggest talking point was the non-selection of Shreyas Iyer in the squad.

Shreyas Iyer failed to even make the reserves list for the Asia Cup. (AP)

What raised further eyebrows was the fact that Shreyas didn't even make it to the five-man reserve list, which includes Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna, and Washington Sundar. Of late, Shreyas has emerged as a beast in T20S, scoring runs for fun in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the IPL.

Earlier this year, Shreyas Iyer took Punjab Kings to the IPL final for the first time since 2014. With the bat, the right-hander scored more than 600 runs. Even in 2024, Shreyas had led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title win.

Shreyas was in fine form in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, helping India win the tournament. In the slow and turning conditions of Dubai, Shreyas emerged as a vital cog in the middle-order, helping the team force the pace in the middle overs.

Ashwin said that he sympathises with Shreyas Iyer as there is nothing more he could have done to warrant a place in the squad for the Asia Cup.

“Shreyas Iyer has solid credentials. He was out of the team, but he made you win the Champions Trophy. If you argue that Shubman Gill is in blasting form, then Shreyas is also in some fine form. Who will answer all these questions? What Shreyas has done wrong,” asked Ashwin on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.

“He did brilliantly well for KKR, made them win. He was sent into the auction. He then took Punjab to the finals for the first time since 2014. He overcame the short ball problem. He was hitting the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Jasprit Bumrah with ease in the IPL. I am just extremely sad for him and Yashasvi Jaiswal; it is extremely unfair,” added Ashwin.

What did Agarkar say?

Shreyas Iyer has played 51 T20Is for India so far, scoring 1104 runs at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 136.12. His last T20I came in December 2023 against Australia.

When asked about not picking Shreyas Iyer, Ajit Agarkar conceded that the batter has been performing very well, but currently, there is no place for him in the squad.

"With regards to Shreyas, I mean, you need to tell him who he can replace. No fault of his, nor is it ours. It's just that we have to pick 15 at the moment; he'll have to wait for his chance," said Agarkar.

Shreyas Iyer had also led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy triumph in the 2024-25 season when the side defeated Madhya Pradesh in the finals.