Dinesh Karthik Slams Shreyas Iyer’s Asia Cup 2025 Snub, Calls It “Unfair” and Baffling

Despite a stellar IPL season and consistent international performances, Shreyas Iyer has been left out of India’s Asia Cup squad — a decision that has sparked outrage among fans and former cricketers alike.

New Delhi, August 22 – Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has openly criticized the selectors’ decision to leave Shreyas Iyer out of the Indian squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, calling it “unfair” and questioning the logic behind the move.

Iyer, who had a phenomenal season as Punjab Kings’ captain in IPL 2025, led his side to its first final since 2014. His tactical sharpness and explosive batting saw him amass 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33 and a blistering strike rate of 175.07, including six half-centuries and a best of 97*. Despite his heroics, Punjab fell just short of the title, losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the final.

India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar, when asked about Iyer’s absence, defended the call by stating: “It’s not his fault, nor is it ours. It’s just that you can pick only 15, and at the moment he’ll have to wait for his chance.”

But this explanation hasn’t sat well with fans, and Karthik has now voiced his disappointment, highlighting how baffling it is that Iyer didn’t even make it to the list of reserves.

“Where is Shreyas Iyer? That’s the big question, isn’t it? How could he miss out? To a point, it’s understandable he wasn’t part of the 15, considering how well Team India has done — winning 17 out of their last 20 games. Continuity is fair. But not making him part of the other five players earmarked for the future, especially with the T20 World Cup in mind? That’s a bit unfair,” Karthik said in an Instagram video.

Karthik further praised Iyer’s composure under pressure, saying: “Closing doors on him is not right. He has done outstandingly well as a leader, but even better as a batter when the team needed him most.”

Iyer’s exclusion stings even more considering his past exploits for India. During the Champions Trophy, he was India’s backbone, finishing as the team’s highest run-scorer with 243 runs in five matches at an average of 48.60, including two crucial fifties.

Despite all this, Iyer finds no place in either the 15-member squad or the five-man reserves.

India’s Asia Cup 2025 Squad:

Main Squad: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Reserves: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

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Shreyas Iyer’s omission has sparked one of the biggest debates ahead of the Asia Cup. With the T20 World Cup looming large, questions remain over whether India can afford to sideline a proven match-winner who has consistently delivered under pressure.