The BCCI has officially announced Team India’s 15-member squad for the prestigious Asia Cup 2025, to be held in the UAE from September 9 to 28. White-ball sensation Suryakumar Yadav has been named captain for the tournament. While the squad looks strong on paper, the biggest talking point among fans and experts is the exclusion of middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer — a decision that has surprised many.
Former India opener and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra expressed concern over Iyer’s omission, pointing out that the stylish right-hander hasn’t just missed out on the playing XI but isn’t even part of the five stand-by reserves. Chopra believes Iyer couldn’t have done much more with the opportunities he received and has performed consistently in ODIs and domestic cricket.
Chopra, however, suggested that all might not be lost for the Mumbai batter. He noted that the selectors might be looking at Iyer as a strong contender for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which India will co-host with Sri Lanka. This means if Iyer keeps scoring runs in domestic cricket and maintains fitness, there’s a high chance he will make a comeback in the T20I setup next year.
India’s selection panel is clearly focusing on a fresher brand of T20 cricket with power-hitters and multi-dimensional cricketers. Still, Shreyas Iyer’s absence from even the list of backups raises questions about the pecking order in India’s middle-order plans for the near future.
Aakash Chopra, reacting to Shreyas Iyer’s exclusion, highlighted how surprising it is considering the batter’s form and hard work across formats.
He said that Iyer has already done everything possible to earn selection — from scoring 600+ runs in IPL, leading his team to the final, piling up runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, performing in Ranji Trophy, and even lifting the Champions Trophy at the domestic level. Despite all this, he still hasn’t found a place — not even among the five reserves — which Chopra believes is a big story in itself.
Chopra clarified that fans shouldn’t confuse this Asia Cup squad with the 2026 T20 World Cup plans, as India still have 15 T20Is lined up before the World Cup selection. Those matches can completely change the team’s outlook. He added that if Iyer remains consistent in ODIs and domestic cricket, he’s confident the stylish right-hander will eventually become part of India’s T20 World Cup squad next year.
Aakash Chopra further questioned the lack of transparency over Shreyas Iyer’s future in India’s T20 setup, pointing out that the selectors didn’t even include him among the five standby players for the Asia Cup 2025.
Chopra said while it was fair to pick specialists like Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh in the main 15 as lower-order finishers, there was ample scope to accommodate Iyer at least in the reserves, where names like Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Prasidh Krishna have been placed.
Calling the decision surprising, he noted that being left out of even a 20-member pool does not send a good signal to the player. Chopra stressed that the “clarity in front of Shreyas’ name is completely missing,” and hinted that the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee should have shown more faith by keeping Iyer in the standby group at the very least.
With India’s first match against UAE on September 10, the team combination could also change depending on the opposition. Ultimately, while Abhishek is locked in, the choice between Samson or Gill as his partner may go down to the wire — and could even change during the tournament.
India Squad for Asia Cup 2025
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Sanju Samson (WK), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
