'Agar Shreyas Iyer itna hi achha hai...': Abhishek Nayar straight-up blasts Ajit Agarkar on live TV, accuses him of...

Former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar asked chief selector Ajit Agarkar the burning question about Shreyas Iyer's omission from the Asia Cup squad, as he was not even picked in the reserves. Iyer’s omission from the Asia Cup squad has put the selection committee in the hot seat, especially after his stellar performances in IPL 2025. The Punjab Kings captain not only scored heavily but also led his team to the final, making a compelling case for his inclusion that the selectors ultimately overlooked. Abhishek Nayar slams Ajit Agarkar for Shreyas Iyer's exclusion from Asia Cup squad.(AFP, ANI and PTI Images)

The 30-year-old has been out of the T20 scheme of things since December 2023, when he last played a T20I against Australia and scored a half-century. However, since then, he has not been called back into the T20I squad and missed the 2024 World Cup, too. In the past two IPL seasons, he guided Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings to the finals. He captained KKR to their third IPL championship and steered PBKS to their first final since 2014.

Agarkar stated that Iyer hasn't done anything wrong, but he has to wait for his chance to get back into the T20I set-up.

Nayar, who was sacked as India's assistant coach ahead of the England tour, asked Agarkar if he thinks Iyer is a strong contender and why he was not picked in the reserves for the Asia Cup.

"I don’t know, actually, I wanted to ask the question, aggar Shreyas Iyer itna hi accha hai toh reserve mei kyu nahi hai, (so how come he’s not in your reserve players? If it’s true that he is such a strong contender.) Sometimes, I mean, you know, selection meetings can be quite interesting and the discussion that happens in a selection meeting can be very interesting," Nayar said on Star Sports.

Iyer was in outstanding form during IPL 2025, finishing as the sixth-highest run-scorer and delivering his best season yet. The Punjab Kings captain scored 604 runs in 17 matches at an average of 50.33, with a strike rate of 175.07, including six half-centuries.

"Don’t understand what reason can justify Shreyas Iyer's exclusion"

Nayar expressed shock at Iyer’s omission, insisting that no explanation could justify leaving him out of the 20-member squad. He added that the selectors’ decision indicates players like Riyan Parag are being prioritised over Iyer in the pecking order.

"But I can’t fathom and I don’t understand what reason can justify Shreyas Iyer not being part of that 20-member squad. I’m not going for 15, I’m going for that 20-member squad, which sort of tells and sends the message to Shreyas Iyer that you are not in a 20-man scheme of things, because even if things don’t work out, you are not coming in the team. Either Riyan Parag is going to make the cut, or someone else is," he added.

Iyer returned to India’s ODI lineup during the England series earlier this year and was instrumental in the team’s Champions Trophy victory. He stood out as the highest run-scorer for India, scoring 243 runs across five innings at an average of 48.60, including two half-centuries. However, he is still out of the Test and T20I scheme of things.

Nayar didn't shy away from making a bold statement that Iyer is not liked by the decision makers as much as someone else.

So that’s the big question here is that maybe they are looking at him from a T20 point of view and any other point of view but I always say this that any selection is after a while, all players are top players, everyone is good then it’s about who you like a little more than the other and that’s sometimes, you know, the tipping point in a selection. And somewhere I just feel in that regard maybe Shreyas Iyer is not liked as much as someone else is, maybe," he concluded.

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