Former Indian assistant coach Abhishek Nayar has expressed his disappointment over Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India’s Asia Cup squad. Despite churning out swashbuckling performances in the Champions Trophy and the subsequent IPL 2025, Iyer failed to secure a spot in India's 15-member squad. In IPL 2025, he blasted 604 runs from 17 matches and also guided Punjab Kings, his new IPL franchise, to the final of IPL 2025. He ended the Champions Trophy as the second-highest scorer with 243 runs at an average of 48.60.
"I don’t know, actually, I wanted to ask the question, aggar 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 quoted by Hindustan Times.
"But I can’t fathom what reason could 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," he said.
Nayar felt that selectors are not looking at Iyer from T20 point of view.
'So that’s the big question here is that maybe they are looking at him from a T20 point of view or 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," he said.