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"I Cannot Say...": Shardul Thakur Breaks Silence On Shreyas Iyer’s Exclusion From Asia Cup 2025

Rajgeeta Yadav

Shardul Thakur speaks on Shreyas Iyer's snub [Source: AFP]Shardul Thakur speaks on Shreyas Iyer's snub [Source: AFP]

The announcement of India’s Asia Cup 2025 squad last week has sparked a lot of debate, mainly because one big name is missing, Shreyas Iyer. Despite being in excellent form, Iyer didn’t make it to the 15-member team, and fans on social media are not happy about it.

Over the past couple of years, Iyer has become one of the most consistent players in T20 cricket. In 2024, he led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title. This year, he captained Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the IPL final, where they narrowly lost to RCB. 

Given these achievements, many cricket experts and former players have criticised the selectors’ decision to leave him out.

Shardul Thakur, who has recently been named captain of the West Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, was asked about Iyer’s exclusion since Iyer will be playing under him in that tournament. Speaking to ANI, Thakur said, 

“I cannot say that because it is the decision of the selectors and the board. So we cannot say anything about that. But I cannot say anything about that because it is not in my hands.” 

Shardul Thakur Expresses Full Support For PBKS Captain

However, Thakur expressed full support for Iyer and praised his mental strength:

 “There will be controversies, but as a player, you have to be strong. And Shreyas is also very strong. Whenever he plays in the upcoming matches, I am sure he will give a very good performance.”

It is worth mentioning that Shreyas Iyer’s T20I record for India includes 51 matches, scoring 1,104 runs at an average of 30.66 and a strike rate of 136.12. Despite these solid stats and his proven leadership skills, he also took Delhi Capitals to the IPL final in 2020, he hasn’t played a T20I for India since December 2023, when he last featured against Australia.

Even though he has done well in domestic tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the IPL, he hasn’t been able to make a comeback to the national side.

On the cricketing front, Shreyas Iyer will be in action in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinal, starting on September 4 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B in Bengaluru.