Shreyas Iyer has become the center of one of Indian cricket’s most debated selection calls after being left out of the Asia Cup 2025 squad. Despite a stellar IPL 2025 season where he piled up 604 runs in 17 matches at a blistering strike rate of 175 and an impressive average of 50.33, Iyer found no place in India’s main squad or even among the five reserves. To make matters more surprising, Shubman Gill, who has not featured in T20Is recently, was chosen as the vice-captain on the back of his remarkable run in the Test series against England, where he amassed over 750 runs.

This decision has sparked criticism across the cricketing fraternity, with former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar leading the charge. Expressing his displeasure on Instagram, Manjrekar questioned the logic of rewarding Test performances with T20 selections.

“It’s something I’ve seen over the years, not just now — the tendency of selectors to reward performances in one format by giving a place in another. When I see a player getting rewarded for Test match success by being drafted into a T20 side, I just find it devoid of cricketing logic. It makes no sense,” Sanjay Manjrekar remarked.

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He further added that Iyer’s exclusion was particularly shocking given his recent turnaround. “This is a guy who was earlier dropped for the right reasons — his lack of commitment to domestic cricket. But when he returned, especially in the home ODI series against England, the way he batted was simply outstanding. He looked like a player reborn.”

Manjrekar highlighted that Iyer has been consistent across formats since his comeback, and his IPL 2025 season only cemented his credentials as a match-winner.

“He didn’t put a foot wrong in that ODI series and then carried the same form into the IPL. I don’t think any batter had such sustained impact — averaging over 50, striking at over 170, and leading Punjab Kings to the finals. And yet, his reward is non-selection.”

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The former cricketer concluded that such decisions could demoralise players who perform in the exact format in question. “If someone dominates T20 cricket like Shreyas Iyer did, he deserves to be picked. To overlook that in favour of rewarding a player for Test performances sends the wrong message. India needs T20 specialists in a T20 tournament, not selections made out of context.”