'Seems strange': Ex-India batter slams Shreyas Iyer's exclusion
has expressed surprise at
's exclusion from India's 15-member squad for the upcoming 2025 Asia Cup, calling it a puzzling decision given his recent form.
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Iyer, who was India's leading run-scorer at the 2025 Champions Trophy with 243 runs in five innings, has also been in prolific touch in franchise cricket. The 30-year-old guided Kolkata Knight Riders (2024) and Punjab Kings (2025) to successive IPL finals, winning the title with KKR. This year, he amassed 604 runs in 17 IPL innings at a blistering strike rate of 175.05, including six half-centuries.
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Yet, Iyer has not featured in India's T20I setup since December 2023 against Australia. His overall record remains impressive — 1,104 runs in 51 T20Is.
Taking to social media after the squad announcement, Uthappa wrote: 'There are around 18 T20Is to go before India play the next #T20WC; not having #ShreyasIyer who was integral in helping you win the CT seems strange. But one can only hope that he gets into this side soon coz he deserves it! I hope they have communicated to him about his exclusion.'
Chief selector
, however, defended the decision: '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.'
Team India squad for Asia Cup
Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh
Reserve players:
Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
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