Former Indian spinner Maninder Singh has questioned the selectors for not including Shreyas Iyer in the Asia Cup squad. 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.

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.

Singh said the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel has been unfair to Iyer as he has been batting with great rhythm.

Singh said while talking to Sports Now, “Talking about Shreyas Iyer, I am very surprised. It often comes to my mind that such a good player, because five to seven years ago I had said that he is a future captain of the Indian team. It is beyond my understanding how a player like him is not in the team.”

“And if what is happening with him is an attempt to break his confidence, then I think it is unfair to a player who bats in such excellent rhythm and has a perfect understanding of the game. In white-ball cricket especially, he has a clear idea of how to score runs at different stages of the match,” he added.

Meanwhile, Iyer has been named as captain for India A vs Australia A two four-day matches. Singh is hopeful that Iyer uses his disappointment as fuel to come up with more consistent performances.

He added, “I was also reading one of his interviews where he told his father, ‘No problem, whatever is written in my destiny will come to me.’ That is a very good attitude, because if your mindset is like that, then when the opportunity comes in the future, you will make the most of it. I hope he converts this disappointment into performances whenever he gets the chance, so that those who are against him or don’t want to see him move forward will get their answer.”

Iyer would look to lead from the front against Australia A.