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Shreyas Iyer was certain he would be picked in India's Asia Cup squad; BCCI says 'no grudges...' after Agarkar backlash
Shreyas Iyer’s Asia Cup 2025 snub sparked outrage as Ajit Agarkar’s logic was slammed; BCCI insisted no grudges and assured future chances.
Shreyas Iyer's non-selection for the 2025 Asia Cup has sparked significant outrage in the Indian cricket fraternity. Fans and experts have rallied behind the India star, questioning the logic behind his exclusion from the 15-man squad announced in Mumbai on Tuesday. The backlash even saw the BCCI being accused of favouritism, while chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s explanation for the move was ridiculed as “nonsensical.”
According to a report in the Times of India, Iyer was fully expecting a call from the selectors for the continental tournament, which gets underway on September 9. And why not? After piling up 604 runs in IPL 2025 at a strike rate of 175.1, followed by 345 runs for Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 188.5, Iyer had every reason to be realistic — only for fate to hand him disappointment.
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“With regard to 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,” Agarkar said when asked about Iyer at the presser.
What further fuelled the outrage was that Iyer wasn’t even named in the reserves, sparking theories that he may not be the selection committee’s favourite. But a BCCI source, speaking to TOI, explained why the star batter wasn’t in the standby list, while stressing that the selectors hold no grudges against him.
“A seasoned player like Shreyas can’t be named in the reserves, please understand this! If you pick him, he plays in the XI. No one has any grudge against Iyer. He will get his chances and play many matches for India in all three formats. It’s just that right now, he didn’t fit in!” the source said.
Iyer will now have to wait until October to see if he gets an opportunity to prove his worth for the T20 World Cup next year. India still have 10 T20Is to play after the Asia Cup — five in Australia and five at home against South Africa. He will also have the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, beginning November 26, to push his case further.
