Former India opener Aakash Chopra said that Shreyas Iyer should have been in the reserve players list for the Asia Cup. He said leaving him out does not give a clear signal about his T20I future.

Chopra added that Iyer was hitting boundaries easily in the Champions Trophy 2025. The Mumbai batter scored 243 runs in five matches of the eight-team tournament at an average of 48.60. He also played a key role in helping India win the trophy.

The Asia Cup will be played from September 9 to 28. The selectors are set to name the squad on Tuesday, August 19. Shreyas Iyer is in great form with the bat and is a strong contender for a spot. In IPL 2025, he scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and led Punjab Kings to finish as runners-up. He improved his game against the short ball and played spinners with ease. Still, he was not included in the 15-member squad or even in the five reserve players.

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Chopra Questions Iyer’s Exclusion

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar was surprised by this decision. Now, Aakash Chopra has also raised the same point. Chopra said, “Shreyas’ name is not even there in the five reserves, and that is surprising. It’s okay if he is not in the 15 because you want lower-order batters like Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh as backups. But Shreyas Iyer deserves to be spoken about. In the Champions Trophy, no Indian player was better than him in the middle overs. He was hitting boundaries at will and removing pressure from the other batter.”

AAKASH CHOPRA ON SHREYAS IYER'S INCLUSION IN ASIA CUP:

- “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 SMAT… pic.twitter.com/SDLTwiaAwQ

— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) August 20, 2025

Chopra on Iyer’s IPL 2025 Form

Chopra also highlighted Iyer’s strong season in IPL 2025. Iyer captained Punjab Kings and took them to the playoffs after 2014. He played a key role in winning Qualifier 2 with an unbeaten 87. Chopra said, “This was Shreyas Iyer’s best IPL season. T20 selections are often based on IPL form. We have seen that with players like Varun Chakravarthy, Rinku Singh, Harshit Rana, Abhishek Sharma, and Sanju Samson. If that is the case, then Shreyas Iyer deserves to play.”

The 30-year-old has scored 1104 runs in 47 T20I innings at a strike rate of 136.12. He is the fifth-highest run-getter among active Indian players in the format.