Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan had some words of wisdom for Shreyas Iyer after the batter was left out of India’s 15-member Asia Cup squad despite doing nothing wrong. The 30-year-old Shreyas has emerged as a beast in white-ball formats of late, and his performance has been nothing short of exceptional. He started the year with a bang, helping India win the Champions Trophy in Dubai. Shreyas emerged as a vital cog in India’s middle order, and repeatedly he bailed the team out in tricky situations.
He then scored 604 runs in 17 matches for Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, taking his team to the final of the tournament. This was the first time in 11 years that the Punjab Kings made it to the summit clash of the IPL.
Shreyas’ performance in the IPL led everyone to believe that it’s a matter of time before he makes his way back into the T20I setup. However, the wait has gotten a bit longer. With the batter not finding a place in the Asia Cup squad, it is unlikely that the selectors will consider him for the T20 World Cup, set to be played in India and Sri Lanka next year.
Amid this snub, Pathan asked Shreyas to stay patient, as his chance will truly come. The former India all-rounder went one step further, saying Shreyas will definitely be a part of the leadership group going ahead.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin calls out Ajit Agarkar for being ‘unfair’ on Shreyas Iyer
“There is no doubt in my mind that @ShreyasIyer15 will not only be in the t20 side but he will be part of the leadership group too. Patience is the key for him at the moment,” Pathan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Abhishek Nayar, Ashwin call out Ajit Agarkar
Ever since the squad was announced for the Asia Cup, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar has been receiving a lot of flak for ignoring a player of Shreyas’ calibre.
Abhishek Nayar, who was a part of India’s coaching staff, up until the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, tore into Agarkar for sidelining Shreyas and not including him even in the reserves list.
On the other hand, Ravichandran Ashwin said Shreyas not being picked is totally “unfair” and he can’t understand this call as the batter has been in fine form over the last two years in both ODIs and T20Is.
Shreyas Iyer’s last T20I came in December 2023 against Australia. The batter has played 51 T20Is for India so far, scoring more than 1100 runs at a strike rate of more than 135.
