Ever since the India squad for the Asia Cup was announced on August 19, there has been one question on everyone’s mind: Why couldn’t Shreyas Iyer make it to the team despite his stellar IPL season and T20 stats? Fans, commentators, and even former greats have expressed disapproval over Iyer’s absence, reigniting the long-running discussion about how India strikes a balance between “form, role, and combinations” when choosing white-ball players.
Recent T20 Stats of Shreyas Iyer:
As captain of the Punjab Kings in the 2025 Indian Premier League, Iyer scored 604 runs at an average of 50.33 and a blistering strike rate of 175.07 in 17 innings, with six fifties, the best up to 97 not out. This is the sort of middle-order power and pace that any T20 team can rely on presently.
Shreyas Iyer has been in form in the domestic T20 tournament. In 9 games of the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he smashed 345 runs at an average of almost 49.29, with a strike rate of 188.52, and topped out with a score of 130. He was a top scorer in the whole thing.
What did the experts say about Iyer’s selection?
Having been a member of the Champions Trophy squad that won the Cup this year, Shreyas Iyer is a very promising young lad. He played under KKR last year when it won the IPL 2024; this year, Iyer played in the Punjab Kings till the final of the IPL 2025. He could not find place in the Asia Cup 2025 team despite his good show in T20 format.
In this matter, BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar said, ” With regards to Shreyas, not his fault, nor is it ours. It’s just that you can pick 15, and at the moment you’ll have to wait for his chance,”. Former CSK player Subramaniam Badrinath said in his YouTube channel that “He definitely deserved to get selected. Ajit Agarkar said he was unlucky, but that’s just a convenient route. Iyer has produced excellent numbers over the last two years and done brilliantly as a captain as well. Instead, they picked Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh for the No. 5 position. Last year, both have done virtually nothing, with poor numbers,”.
The Middle Order Debate:
India seems to be increasing their reliance on left-right diversity, multi-utility bowlers, and ultra-high powerplay pace in the hopes that their squad will be more suited to the UAE’s conditions and knockout unpredictability. A batsman like Iyer, who often bats at No. 3 or 4, would be considered an extra in India’s current team plan if the selectors favour a left-hander, a batsman who can bowl a few overs, or a batter who can hit huge shots right away in the closing overs.
This is not to conclude that Shreyas Iyer is a mere steady player, as he exhibited during his recent performance. He has a strike rate of more than 175 in the 2025 Indian Premier League and over 188 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. These figures show that he is extremely fast at scoring goals as well as sustaining pressure and learn to adjust to the requirements of the game.
India and Iyer’s Situation:
Incredible depth is an advantage for India; one might argue against a 600-run IPL season, given the presence of other top choices. Role consistency is a risk; you want a batsman who can take pressure and stay on the pitch if early wickets fall or spin takes control of the middle overs. In 2025, Iyer has frequently done just that, but still couldn’t make it to the Asia Cup 2025 squad.
Although it is difficult, Shreyas Iyer’s path back to the team is clear. In T20 cricket, he will have to keep on hitting big scores and make it difficult for the selectors to ignore him. His 2025 performance of 604 in the IPL runs at a strike rate of 175, and his Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy performances are self-explanatory. His exclusion will likely be more heavily questioned if India has trouble in the middle order during the Asia Cup. Many fans and experts are still shocked that one of the year’s most productive T20 batsmen isn’t in the squad, even though the selectors are sticking to their explanation of “team combinations” for the time being.
Sagnik Banerjee 
Vibhor Gautam 
Good details