New Delhi, Aug 20 (NationPress) Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra is of the opinion that Shreyas Iyer should have been included in the reserve players for the upcoming Asia Cup. He argues that this decision raises concerns regarding the clarity of Iyer's future in T20 internationals.

Iyer had an impressive performance in IPL 2025, scoring 604 runs at a strike rate of 175 and leading the Punjab Kings to the finals. Despite his significant improvements in handling short balls and a strong show against spinners, Iyer was excluded from both the 15-member squad and the five reserve players.

This decision left former India assistant coach Abhishek Nayar perplexed, and Chopra shares similar sentiments. He stated, "Shreyas' absence from the five reserves is surprising. It is understandable that he couldn’t make it to the 15-member squad, especially when you have lower-order batters like Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh as backups. However, a spot could have been allocated for him in the reserves, especially given that players like Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Prasidh Krishna made the cut. Not including Shreyas sends a concerning message regarding his future.

Chopra also mentioned that Iyer still has a chance to secure a spot in India's squad for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup if he maintains his performance in ODIs. Currently, Iyer’s next challenge is with the West Zone in the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy.

"Shreyas Iyer's exclusion is a significant issue. What else does he need to achieve? He had a stellar IPL season with over 600 runs, led his team to the finals, and performed well in domestic tournaments. It's perplexing that he isn't included in the Asia Cup team. Let's not conflate this with the World Cup as there are numerous T20Is ahead. If he continues to excel in ODIs, I firmly believe that Shreyas Iyer will be part of India’s T20 World Cup squad," he added.