'Shreyas Iyer will be part of India’s T20 World Cup team': Ex-India batter makes bold claim post Asia Cup snub

Ex-India batter makes bold claim post Asia Cup snub (PTI Photo)

Shreyas Iyer's 87 off 41 balls to assist Punjab Kings (PBKS) defeat the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Qualifier 2 was one of the most memorable knocks of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Iyer enjoyed a successful season as captain and batsman, despite Punjab's defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final. He, however, did not make the squad for the 2025 Asia Cup.

Iyer amassed 604 runs at a strike-rate of 175 in IPL 2025. Prior to IPL, Iyer played a key role in leading India to Champions Trophy triumph, which was after making a comeback to the ODI setup during the England series. With 243 runs at an average of 48.60 across five innings, including two half-centuries, he stood out as India's top run-scorer at the elite ICC tournament.

Reflecting on the snub, former India batter Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel noted: “Shreyas Iyer not being there is a big story. What more will Shreyas Iyer have to do? What more can you do than what you have already done? You had a 600-plus run IPL season, took the team to the final, scored runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, played Ranji, and won the Champions Trophy. That’s all you can do as a human being.”

Also Read | What was Gautam Gambhir's role in Shubman Gill’s appointment as vice-captain for Asia Cup

The ex-India opener, however, feels that Iyer will make a return for the World Cup, which will be played next year. “This is the Asia Cup team. Don’t attach the World Cup with it because there are 15 T20Is after this. The world changes in 15 T20Is. If he keeps scoring runs in ODIs, sooner or later, Shreyas Iyer will be part of the team. I have a strong feeling that Shreyas Iyer will be a part of India’s T20 World Cup team,” Chopra added.

Since his last T20I match, in which he struck a half-century against Australia in December 2023, Iyer has not been considered for the format, during which India also won the T20 World Cup in 2024.