Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra feels Shreyas Iyer might not have been included in India’s Asia Cup squad as it would have been difficult to accommodate him in the final XI. However, the renowned commentator said Iyer not even finding a place in India’s stand-by players list is worrisome.
Iyer scored 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33 and a blistering strike rate of 175.07. Ergo, he played an instrumental role in taking PBKS to the final of the tournament but he was overlooked by the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel.
Furthermore, Iyer had scored 243 runs in five matches of the Champions Trophy 2025 and had played a key role in taking the team to glory.
“The biggest question was whether Shreyas Iyer could have been accommodated in this team. I am using the word accommodate because he is your No. 3 or No. 4 player, and you have Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma at those positions. Sometimes you make allowances,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He is not an automatic fit. It doesn’t seem like he is absolutely perfect. It was a judgment call. Did Shreyas Iyer not deserve to be picked even in the 20? That is a bigger worry,” he added.
The former Delhi cricketer said he is hopeful that the selectors have had a discussion with Iyer and told him why he hasn’t been picked despite consistent performances.
“I really hope that a phone call has happened where you have told Shreyas why he hasn’t been kept in the squad and the reserves, and that he is in your scheme of things. The conversation may or may not have happened, I don’t know, but some conversation should have happened,” he said.
“If I had tried to accommodate Shreyas Iyer, I would have kept him in the team. I would have been slightly fluid among Shreyas, Tilak and Surya from Nos. 3 to 5. Then I would have kept Hardik at No. 6, Jitesh Sharma at No. 7, and then I might have sacrificed either Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh, and gone with Axar after that,” Chopra observed.
India would begin their Asia Cup campaign against the UAE on September 10.
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